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BRAZILIAN 


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THE  ^ 

LAND  of  RUBBER 


AT  THE 


Third  International  Rubber  and 

Allied  Trades  Exhibition 

New  York 

1912 


WITH  THE  COMPLIMENTS  OF 
THE    BRAZILIAN    GOVERNMENT 


fb<-^-2-\\     ,     C* 


From 

DR.  EUGENIO  DAHNE 

BRAZILIAN  COMMISSIONER 
1253  Jones  Street 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  -  CALIFORN 


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THE  ^ 

LAND  o/  RUBBER 


AT    THE 


Third  International  Rubber  and 

Allied  Trades  Exhibition 

New  York 

1912 


with  the  compliments  of 
THE    BRAZILIAN    GOVERNMENT 


to  -vmu    ^\^ 

BRAZIL  COURT    ^gjf 

Brazil  occupies  no  less  than  ten  thousand  square  feet  of  space 
on  the  Balcony  Floor.  The  Exhibit  is  specially  comprehensive. 
There  is  a  fine  archway  to  each  entrance  to  the  court  domi- 
nated by  the  arms  of  the  Federal  Government.  An  Information 
Bureau  is  provided,  at  which  all  enquiries  as  to  Brazilian  rubber 
will  be  answered.  The  walls  are  hung  with  statistics  and  maps 
of  the  country.  Close  by  are  the  offices  of  the  Brazilian  Com- 
missioners and  a  refreshment  kiosk,  where  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment dispenses  Brazilian  coffee  to  visitors.  One  of  the  first 
things  to  strike  the  eye  is  the  huge  recumbant  figure  of  the 
Rubber  Colossus,  overlooking  the  mighty  Amazon  and  its  in- 
numerable tributaries,  all  of  them  highways  of  the  rubber  col- 
lecting industry.  From  this  point  the  visitor  may,  with  the 
assistance  of  a  number  of  pictures,  22  feet  by  12  feet,  take  a 
bird's  eye  view  tour  up  the  Amazon.  Alongside  these  pictures 
is  a  unique  collection  from  the  different  States  of  Brazil  of  rubber 
and  other  products,  the  preponderance  of  the  rubber  industry 
being  illustrated  by  a  fine  pyramid  of  caoutchouc.  Dotted  here 
and  there  are  life-sized  models  of  Brazilian  workmen  in  their 
native  costumes.  Arriving  at  the  entrance  to  the  Amazonas  Sec- 
tion we  find  Dr.  Pinto  actually  engaged  in  the  coagulation  of 
latex  by  his  new  smokeless  process,  which  manufacturers  have 
admitted  turns  out  excellent  rubber  and  which  has  the  great 
advantage  over  the  native  system  hitherto  in  vogue,  of  saving  an 
enormous  amount  of  both  time  and  labor,  whilst  giving  splendid 
results.  A  second  series  of  pictures  affords  a  vivid  idea  of  the 
salient  features  of  the  State  of  Amazonas.  In  this  section  we 
have  a  mountain  of  rubber,  and  a  ball  which  weighs  1,600 
pounds.  There  is  a  fine  picture  of  a  native  tapping  a  rubber 
tree  and  numerous  very  beautiful  photographs.  That  nothing 
may  be  wanting  to  the  completeness  of  the  representation  of 
Brazil's  great  rubber  industry  a  series  of  Moving  Pictures  is 
shown  in  the  Main  Hall  of  the  Exhibition,  which  visitors  will 
find  particularly  instructive  after  they  have  gone  through  the 
Brazilian  Section  on  the  Balcony  Floor. 


Q<Oir^  ^a^A&  \]^Ajj& 


MARECHAL    HERMES    DA    FONSECA, 
President  of  Brazil. 


257229 


BRAZILIAN  DELEGATION   of  the  INTERNATIONAL 
RUBBER  EXHIBITION,  NEW  YORK 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  SERVICE 

FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT  COMMISSIONERS 

President 
DR.  CANDIDO  MENDES  DE  ALMEIDA 

Assistant 
MAIRO  BAPTISTA  NUNES 
Official  representation,  information  and  publicity 

Vice-President 

ADMIRAL  JOSE  CARLOS  DE  CARVALHO 

Assistants    , 

DR.  OSCAR  SAYAO  DE  MORAES 

ADALBERTO  DE  SOUSA  ARANHA 

Disposition  of  Exhibits,  Decoration,  Etc., 

General  Secretary 

DR.  EUGENIO  DAHNE 

Assistant  Secretary 

MR.  DILLWYME  M.  HAZLETT 

Accountant 

MR.   IVO   GRACA  CAMPOS 

Reception  of  Exhibits,  Correspondence,  Purchasing,  Accounts,  Payments,  Etc. 


STATE  COMMISSIONERS 

State  of  Amazonas 
DR.  MANOEL  LOBATO 

Commercial  Association  of  Amazonas 

MR.  A.  W.  STEADMAN,  New  York  Commercial  Co. 

MR.  J.  LEW,  Manaos 

State  of  Para 

Commercial  Association  of  Para 

MR.  GEORGE  E.  PELL,  General  Rubber  Co.,  New  York 

State  of  Bahia 
J.  DO  ARGOLLO 

State  of  Minas  Geraes  . 
DR.  I.  SANTIAGO  CARDWELL  QUINN 

Rubber  Demonstration 
DR.  CARLOS  CERQUEIRA  PINTO 

OFFICE  HOURS— 9  to  12  A.  M.  and  2  to  5  P.  M. 

Committee  Meeting  of  Delegation — Daily  3  to  4  P.  M. 

4 


DR.   PEDRO   DE  TOLEDO, 
Minister  of  Agriculture  of  the  Government  of   Brazil 


INTRODUCTION 

Brazil,  with  its  vast  and  immeasurable  virgin  forests  in  the 
valley  of  the  Amazon,  undoubtedly  the  greatest  in  the  world, 
traversed  by  innumerable  tributaries,  many  of  which  are  larger 
and  deeper  than  many  of  the  rivers  in  other  countries,  can  be 
considered  the  largest  storehouse  of  native  rubber  of  the  best 
quality,  all  ready  to  be  extracted,  coagulated  and  applied  to  all 
kinds  of  industries.  No  other  investment  of  capital  can  be  as 
remunerative  as  that  invested  in  the  extraction  of  the  native  rub- 
ber from  full  grown  trees,  already  existing  in  large  quantities  of 
many  millions,  and  in  zones  full  of  natural  richness. 

For  the  culture  of  rubber  trees  of  the  various  species,  the 
whole  northern  and  central  portions  of  Brazil  are  well  adapted, 
and  will  give  magnificent  results  in  the  near  future. 

Nature  has  prodigally  provided  easy  means  of  communica- 
tion by  waterways  broad  and  deep.  The  climate  is  equitable 
without  great  variations  of  temperature,  which  gives  perpetual 
summer  and  produces  large  and  nearly  uninterrupted  harvests  of 
agricultural  products. 

The  difficulties  which  hinder  the  rapid  development  of  the 
extraction  of  rubber  are  the  obstructions  in  rivers  in  certain 
places,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  when  the  water  is  low,  and 
the  fact  that  the  production  of  rubber  is  so  remunerative  that  all 
the  vigorous  men  that  are  thus  engaged  do  not  care  to  engage 
in  any  other  industry.  Thus  it  is  that  living  in  the  rubber  regions 
is  very  expensive  because  everything  must  be  brought  there, 
even  implements  and  foodstuffs. 

These  difficulties,  however,  have  been  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Federal  Government  of  Brazil,  and  of  the  States, 
and  in  consequence  an  important  Congress  was  called  and  pre- 
sided over  by  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Industry  and  Com- 
merce. The  Legislative  power  also  passed  special  laws  pro- 
viding measures  urgently  needed  to  better  the  existing  condi- 
tions.    These   laws   also   provide   for   a    department    under   the 


Minister  of  Agriculture,  Industry  and  Commerce,  to  be  called 
"The  Protection  of  Rubber,"  which  has  already  been  formed 
and  is  at  work. 

Among  the  various  and  important  provisions  of  the  law,  is 
the  establishment  of  various  experimental  stations  for  advancing 
the  cultivation  of  the  four  different  kinds  of  rubber  trees  found 
in  Brazil,  the  Hevea  braziliensis  (seringa),  castilloa  (caucho), 
manigoba,  and  mangabeira.  These  trees  are  all  natives  of  Brazil 
and  can  be  cultivated  from  the  upper  regions  of  the  Amazon  to 
the  States  of  S.  Paulo  and  Parana.  That  is,  from  the  extreme 
north  to  nearly  the  extreme  south,  one  or  other  of  these  species 
can  be  cultivated,  according  to  the  climate  and  character  of  the 
soil  in  each  region. 

Various  concessions  and  money  premiums  are  offered  to  at- 
tract capital  and  awaken  activity  in  this  industry.  Certain  ser- 
vices, such  as  the  establishment  of  hospitals,  medical  attention 
and  hygienic  regulations  are  also  provided  by  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment. 

In  the  pages  of  this  book  will  be  found,  fully  treated,  the 
principal  points  of  this  important  subject.  From  the  statistical 
tables  published  and  from  the  exhibits  displayed  at  the  Interna- 
tional Rubber  Exposition  in  New  York,  it  can  readily  be  seen 
that  the  rubber  of  Brazil  is  judged  the  best  in  the  world,  and  that 
its  production  although  already  enormous  is  destined  to  be 
largely  increased. 

DR.  CANDIDO  MENDES  DE  ALMEIDA, 

President  Brazilian  Commission. 


A   MONOGRAPH   UPON  PARA  RUBBER 


HISTORICAL  NOTES  ABOUT  PARA  RUBBER 

It  is  in  our  diaries  of  the  voyage  of  the  Genovese  Columbus, 
that  among  the  important  occurrences  of  that  notable  crossing 
of  the  ocean,  which  gave  him  immortality,  appeared  the  first 
references,  made  by  Herrera,  to  the  quality  of  a  certain  gum 
utilized  by  the  aborigines. 

In  1536  Gongalvo  Fernandes  d'Oviedo  in  his  "Universal 
History  of  the  Indies,"  published  in  Madrid,  also  mentioned  the 
uses  which  the  indigenous  tribes  of  North  America  made  of 
rubber  skins  in  their  amusements. 

The  Jesuit  Charlevoix  also  refers  to  it  and  more  fully  yet 
does  John  Torquemada  who  in  his  "Indian  Monarchy,"  ex- 
presses himself  thus :  "There  is  a  tree  in  this  country  (Mexico) 
known  to  the  natives  as  ulequahuitl,  to  whom  it  is  of  the  greatest 
value.  This  tree  grows  in  the  warm  or  torrid  zone ;  and  pre- 
sents itself  of  a  medium  height  with  rounded  leaves  of  an  ashy 
color.  It  furnishes  in  abundance  a  species  of  glutinous  white 
liquid  like  milk,  which  makes  it  of  great  utility  to  them. 

"The  milk  of  the  ulequahuitl  is  obtained  by  beating  the  tree 
with  a  small  hatchet.  The  liquid  is  then  seen  to  ooze  out  from 
the  incision  made  like  blood  from  a  wound.  The  natives  gather 
it  into  dry  hollow  gourds  of  various  sizes.  It  gradually  takes 
consistency  in  these  receptacles,  until  it  turns  into  a  gummy 
mass,  from  which  it  is  easy  to  adapt  it  to  any  form  which  may 
be  required. 

"Those  who  have  no  gourds,  besmear  their  bodies  with  the 
liquid  substance,  as  it  flows  out  from  the  tree ;  which  in  drying 
forms  itself  into  a  species  of  membrane,  which  is  easily  taken 
off  and  whose  thickness  varies  according  to  the  coating  spread 
over  the  skin.  Skins  very  much  appreciated  for  their  elasticity 
are  made  with  this  ulli.  The  ulli  solidified  serves  for  shields, 
which  thus  are  proof  against  the  sharpest-pointed  arrows,  owing 
without  doubt  to  the  pliability  of  the  material,  which  does  not 
affect  its  tenacity. 

"Kings  and  nobles  habitually  use  shoes  made  of  ulli.  The 
Spaniards  of  Mexico,  moreover,  impregnate  their  capes  with 
ulli,  so  as  to  make  them  water-proof,  because  it  is  proved  that 
such  substance  resists  water  in  a  marvelous  manner,  but  melts 
before  the  action  of  the  sun." 


COUNT   CAND1DO    MENDES   DE   ALMEIDA, 
President  of  the   Federal   Government  of    Brazil   Commission. 


In  Mexico  and  Central  America,  the  name  of  Ule  still 
denotes  even  to-day  one  of  the  rubber  trees  known  as  the 
elastic  Castille. 

After  the  Spaniards,  the  French  in  1736  occupied  themselves 
with  that  substance,  whose  interesting  properties  had  not  up 
to  that  date  come  to  deserve  the  attenion  of  the  Europeans. 

De  la  Condamine  sent  by  the  French  Government  to  Peru, 
in  order  to  measure  a  degree  of  the  terrestrial  meridian,  was 
,  the  first  to  refer  to  the  Hevea  of  the  Guyana.  In  a  note  that 
accompanied  a  small  sample  of  resinous  gum  of  a  heavy  dark 
color,  almost  black,  he  said  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences :  "There 
grows  in  the  forests  of  the  province  of  the  Esmeraldas  a  tree 
known  to  the  natives  by  the  name  of  Heve;  a  white  resinous 
liquid  something  like  milk  runs  out  from  it  after  making  an 
incision  ;  this  substance  is  collected  in  a  leaf  that  is  laid  close 
to  the  foot  of  the  tree  and  afterwards  is  exposed  to  the  sun, 
when  it  gets  black  at  first  upon  its  surface  and  afterwards  by 
continuous  exposure  to  the  sun  becomes  black  in  all  its  mass. 
Torches,  which  burn  admirably  well,  are  made  from  it.  It  is 
known  in  Quito,  that  that  tree  grows  also  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Amazon  and  that  the  Mainas  call  it  cautchu.  They  make 
earthen  moulds  in  the  form  of  bottles  and  cover  them  with  that 
material.  Afterwards  when  the  resin  gets  hard,  they  break  the 
mould  and  thereby  obtain  unbreakable  water-jars  much  lighter 
than  glass  bottles." 

Later  on  he  wrote :  "many  are  the  uses  which  the  Omaguas 
make  of  that  resin  in  the  central  parts  of  South  America, 
especially  among  the  Indians  of  Para  where  the  Portuguese 
gave  to  the  tree  that  produces  it,  the  name  of  Pauseringa,  be- 
cause from  it  'seringas,'  much  in  vogue  among  the  Omaguas, 
are  manufactured ;  these  being  little  hollow  balloons  in  the  shape 
of  a  pear,  into  which  a  tube  is  inserted. 

"In  Para  it  is  moulded  in  still  many  different  manners,  they 
make  borracha,  faces  of  animals,  hollow  or  solid  balls  and  also 
apply  it  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  which  become  quite  water- 
proof and  when  smoked  acquire  the  appearance  of  leather." 

Fresneau,  a  collaborator  of  de  la  Condamine,  sought  to 
study  the  vegetable  plants  which  produced  that  gum,  obtaining 
as  a  result  that  Aublet,  a  French  botanist,  proceeded  to  interest 
himself  in  the  question  and  completed  de  la  Condamine's 
studies,  and  then  classifying  the  heve  under  the  domination  of 
Hevea  Guyanensis. 

It  was  only  in  1798  that  the  Ficus  elastica,  the  first  Asiatic 
plant  producer  of  rubber  became  known,  and  up  till  1860  South 
America,  English  India  and  Java  were  the  only  rubber-produc- 
ing countries  in  the  world. 

10 


ADMIRAL  JOSE  CARLOS   DE  CARVALHO, 

Vice-President  of  the  Federal  Government 
of   Brazil   Commission. 


11 


Much  later  than  this — in  1885,  Africa  commenced  to  export 
this  article,  an  industry  which  reached  its  apogee  after  the 
creation  by  Leopold  II  of  the  Independent  State  of  the  Congo. 

In  the  meantime,  in  spite  of  the  fact  of  some  of  the  qualities 
of  rubber  and  even  its  applications  being  known  in  Europe 
ever  since  the  Sixteenth  Century,  it  was  only  during  the 
Nineteenth  Century,  that  this  product  conquered  that  position 
as  an  article  very  much  in  evidence  which  it  now  occupies  as  an 
indispensable  material  in  modern  industry  or  even  still  yet  for 
the  necessities  which  civilization  created. 

Herissant  and  Macquer,  in  1768,  discovered  the  first  dissolv- 
ing processes;  in  1770,  Priestley  vulgarized  the  property  of  the 
"borracha"  in  wiping  out  lead-pencil  tracings  from  which  the 
English  name  Rubber  is  derived ;  Berniard,  Fourcroy,  Berthollet, 
Grossart  and  others  occupied  themselves  about  this  commodity, 
with  more  or  less  success.  Madier,  in  1820,  found  out  a  me- 
chanical means  of  cutting  the  rubber-blocks  in  order  to  obtain 
elastic  threads  and  three  years  afterwards,  Macintosh  discovered 
that  naptha  dissolved  rubber  and  thus  made  cloth  impervious 
to  the  action  of  water. 

The  adaption  of  rubber  to  industrial  purposes  such  as  the 
/^nanufacture  of  shoes,  physical  and  surgical  appliances,  elastic 
cloths,  railway-buffers,  machine-springs,  etc.,  was  fairly  in  full 
swing  when  the  discovery  of  the  vulcanizing  of  rubber  by 
Goodyear  sprung  up,  an  occurance  which  came  to  revolutionize 
the  insipient  industry  and  enormously  enlarge  the  scope  of  the 
commercial  application  of  that  product,  which  thence  forward 
came  to  assume  exceptional  importance.  The  vulcanizing 
method  consists  in  the  mixing  of  a  certain  quantity  of  rubber 
with  sulphur  and  in  the  exposure  of  that  mixture  to  an  elevated 
temperature  and  to  a  high  pressure  during  a  certain  space  of  time. 
The  rubber  transforms  itself  considerably;  the  property  of  in- 
definite hardness  is  lost,  but  presents  greater  resistency  to  the 
forces  of  compression  and  lengthening-out,  supports  excessively 
low  temperature  and  becomes  less  sensible  to  the  action  of 
ordinary  dissolving  ingredients. 

In  Brazil  already  existed  up  to  1840,  a  rudimentary  industry 
of  shoe  manufacturing  and  in  the  water-proofing  of  various 
objects.  The  great  demand  for  rubber  caused  by  the  develop- 
ment of  the  industry  in  foreign  countries  and  consequently 
the  very  high  profits  that  the  extraction  of  rubber  in  the 
Brazilian  "seringaes"  or  native  rubber-forests  presented,  de- 
stroyed all  that  initiative  and  Brazil  passed  into  the  position 
of  a  mere  producer  of  the  raw  material.  In  order  to  appreciate 
with  what  devotion  the  country  lent  itself  to  this  occupation, 
sufficient  is  it  to  contrast  the  31  tons  exported  in  1827  with  the 
36,547  exported  in  1911. 

18 


DR.   EUGENIO  DAHNE, 

General  Secretary  of  the  Federal   Government 
of  Brazil  Commission. 


13 


RUBBER-PRODUCING  PLANTS  —  BOTANICAL 
DESCRIPTION— PRODUCTIVENESS- 
REGIONS  IN  WHICH  THEY  EXIST 

At  the  present  moment,  more  than  300  species  of  rubber- 
producing  plants  are  known  to  exist,  these  being  distributed 
among  the  tropical  regions  of  the  world.  Trees  of  large  size, 
climbing  plants  and  flexible  creepers  containing  the  precious 
latex  in  their  branches,  trunk  and  roots,  those  vegetable  growths 
from  the  double  point  view  of  quantity  and  quality  of  rubber 
produce  have  not  an  equal  importance.  The  species  worthy  of 
mention  belong  to  four  great  families : 

1. — Euphorbiacan,  Hevea,  Micrandra,  Manioh.  2. — Ulmacean, 
Castilloa  and  Ficus.  3. — Apocynacean,  Landolphia,  Hancornia, 
Kickxia  Carpodium  and  Clitandra.  4. — Asclepiadaceas,  Cal- 
lotropia,  Cynanchum. 

The  production  of  rubber  in  America  is  principally  furnished 
by  the  heveas,  micandra,  manioh,  castilloa  and  hancornia;  that 
of  Asia  by  the  ficus ;  and  that  of  Africa  by  the  landolphia, 
clitandra  and  kickxia. 

In  the  Amazonian  region  of  Brazil,  there  exist  about  21 
species  of  heveas ;  of  these  the  principal  is  the  hevea  braziliensis, 
which  under  the  name  of  "the  Para  rubber-tree"  deserves  to  be 
classed  in  the  front  rank  of  all  the  other  lactiferous  plants  in 
the  world.  The  hevea  braziliensis  furnishes  the  most  highly 
esteemed  quality  of  rubber,  and  it  is  the  value  of  that  product 
which  determines  the  prices  of  all  the  other  species  of  rubber 
brought  on  to  the  market. 

The  heveas  are  powerful  trees  of  from  20  to  30  metres  high, 
the  trunk  which  is  cylindric  in  form  and  of  a  light  ashy  color, 
generally  attains  a  diameter  of  from  0m80  to  lm20;  the  branches 
only  commence  to  grow  at  about  15  metres  from  the  ground. 
The  leaves  fall  in  June,  but  are  speedily  substituted  by  others ; 
it  is  during  this  period  that  the  trees  break  into  flower. 

They  grow  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  which  within 
Brazil  embraces  the  State  of  the  Amazonas,  the  federal  ter- 
ritory of  Acre,  almost  all  the  State  of  Para,  the  North  of  Matto 
Grosso  and  of  Goyaz  and  a  part  of  the  South  of  Maranhao,  or  say 
about  5,000,000  of  square  kilometres. 

Their  habitat  as  a  general  rule  is  a  low  and  warm  region 
whose  temperature  varies  between  25°  and  30° ;  without  sudden 
changes  during  the  course  of  the  year  and  they  favor  by  prefer- 
ence the  watery   soils,  just  swampy,   damp   and   even   marshy; 

'      14 


however,  at  the  head-waters  of  some  rivers,  they  also  live  and 
develop  themselves  perfectly  well  in  dry  and  elevated  land.  In 
the  Amazonic  forests,  the  average  proportion  is  of  one  hevea- 
tree  for  80  trees  of  other  species. 

The  milky  latex  circulates  from  the  root  to  the  leaves,  exist- 
ing, however,  in  greater  abundancy  in  the  trunk,  up  to  a  height 
of  abor.'  2  metres  from  the  ground.  The  heveas  in  Brazil  are 
generally  known  by  the  term  "seringueiras"  and  the  forests  in 
which  they  are  found  are  denominated  "seringaes." 

The  average  production  of  a  "seringueira"  during  the 
harvest  season,  which  extends  over  the  space  of  6  months,  is 
of  5  kilos  of  fine  rubber  and  750  grs.  of  sernamby. 

The  species  most  appreciated  besides  the  hevea  braziliensis, 
are  the  hevea  de  terra  firme,  of  which  Dr.  E.  Ule  treats  in  his 
recent  studies,  and  which  are  found  on  the~  frontiers  of  Matto 
Grosso,  the  hevea  do  Rio  Negro,  called  ''seringa  verdadeira" 
(the  real  seringa),  the  hevea  benthamiana  and  the  hevea  dukei, 
Hub,  from  the  region  of  the  Japura,  all  of  them  furnishing  ex- 
cellent products. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Amazon  exist  the  micandras,  belonging 
to  the  same  family  and  producing  a  rubber  of  a  superior  quality, 
since  it  is  sold  under  the  name  of  Fine-Para.  The  production 
of  these  trees  goes  to  the  market  included  in  the  category  of 
hevea,  owing  to  its  similarity  to  this  latter.  The  micranda 
syshenoide  which  is  the  most  known  species,  is  found  on  the 
Lower  Amazon,  in  the  innumerable  islands  at  the  estuary  of 
the  great  Amazon  River,  in  the  valleys  of  the  Madeira',  the 
Solimoes,  the  Japura  and  the  Purus;  the  natives  give  it  the 
names  of  tapuru,  curupita  murupita  and  seringarana.  They 
are  leafy  trees  whose  trunk  is  of  from  0m80  to  lm  in  diametre  and 
from  20  to  25  metres  high.  They  grow  as  well  in  the  low  lying 
marshy  soil  as  in  the  elevated  lands,  whence  comes  their  denomi- 
nation of  tapuru  da  vargem  and  tapuru  de  terra  firme.  The 
tapuru  is  as  lactescent  or  milky  as  the  hevea  and  the  latex 
which  it  renders  is  equally  rich,  seeing  that  it  gives  50  per  cent, 
of  fine  rubber. 

The  trees  whose  product,  the  caucho,  occupies  the  second 
place  in  the  general  exportation  of  rubber  from  Brazil  although 
as  a  matter  of  fact  it  only  commenced  to  come  into  the  Brazil- 
ian markets  in  the  year  1896,  belong  to  the  family  of  the 
Ulmaceas.  These  are  the  Castillas  which  up  till  a  short  time 
ago  have  been  classed  as  of  the  same  species  as  that  which 
grows  in  Mexico  and  Central  America — the  Castilla  elastica, 
but  studies  made  by  professor  O.  Warburg  show  that  they  are 
distinct  species  which  was  thence  forward  denominated 
Castilla  Ulei,  Warb. 

15 


The  "castilloa"  is  a  tree  of  large  proportions,  reaching  to 
a  height  of  from  12  to  18  metres;  its  trunk  with  a  diametre  of 
from  0m60  to  0m90,  is  of  an  ashy  gray  color,  smooth  and  spar- 
ingly branched.  The  leaves  are  large,  greater,  indeed,  on  the 
new  plants  than  on  the  full  grown  trees  and  its  fruit  is  of  an 
oily  nature. 

These  trees  grow  in  considerable  quantities  at  the  sources 
or  head-waters  of  the  affluents  of  the  Amazon  on  the  latter's 
right  bank,  such  as  the  Jurua,  the  Purus,  the  Madeira,  the 
Tapajoz  and  the  Xingu,  and  on  its  left  bank  in  the  valleys  of 
the  Japura,  the  Iga,  the  Rio  Negro  and  the  Trombetas  Rivers. 
Abundant  "cauchaes"  or  forests  of  cautchou  trees  exist  also  in 
the  region  of  the  River  Tocantins  and  of  the  Araguaya. 

The  "castilloa"  is  found  therefore  in  the  same  regions  as 
those  in  which  the  "seringueiras"  flourish ;  it  exacts  a  warm 
climate,  a  clayey  or  clayey-silicious  soil,  but  does  not  thrive  in 
swampy  ground  or  such  as  is  easily  inundated  during  the 
rainy  season. 

The  latex  is  found  as  much  in  the  bark  as  in  the  alburno 
and  each  tree  felled  produces  on  an  average  about  50  litres  of 
latex  or  say  from  18  to  20  kilos  of  rubber. 

"Ceara"  is  the  mundial  denomination  of  another  quality  of 
Brazilian  rubber,  the  rubber  of  the  Manicoba  tree.  The  mani- 
coba  manihot  glaziovii  is  a  handsome  tree  10  to  15  metres  high, 
and  a  native  of  the  Northeastern  region  of  Brazil.  Its  trunk 
presents  a  diametre  of  from  20  to  50  centimetres  and  it  possesses 
few  branches;  its  wood-fibres  are  weak  and  light.  The  cortex, 
which  possesses  lactiferous  vessels  in  abundance,  is  protected 
by  a  silicose  layer,  easily  removable.  It  is  a  plant  of  rapid 
growth. 

According  to  a  classification  made  by  Dr.  Ule,  there  are 
four  species  of  manioh,  the  m.  glaziovii,  the  m.  piauhyensis,  the 
m.  dichotoma  and  the  m.  heptaphylla,  the  which  exist  almost 
throughout  all  Central  Brazil,  being  specially  abundant  in 
Ceara,  Piauhy  and  Bahia. 

Little  exigent,  it  thrives  in  regions  where  the  temperature 
oscillates  between  22°  and  36°,  on  low-lying  ground  and  it 
develops  itself  well  in  lands  of  great  altitude^  in  which  the 
thermometric  average  temperature  is  about  15°,  resisting  even 
the  hoar-frost. 

It  is  indifferent  to  this  tree  whether  the  climate  be  damp  or 
dry,  as  long  as  the  soil  is  dry. 

The  species  most  appreciated  are  those  from  Piauhy  and 
the  Jequie  ("sertao  or  back-woods  of  Bahia).  Those  of  Piauhy 
present  two  varieties :  the  white  and  the  black  species,  the  white 
being  the  most  renowned.  They  are  of  small  size,  with  abundant 

16 


foliage  and  thick  bark  and  darkish  stem  and  give  plenty  of 
the  milky  latex,  the  average  being  1,200  grammes  per  tree. 
Those  of  the  Jequie,  which  grow  between  the  rivers  Paraguassu 
to  the  north  and  of  the  Contas  to  the  south,  are  a  shrub-tree 
whose  trunk  does  not  exceed  30  centimetres  in  diametre.  The 
bark  is  fine  and  of  light  clear  color;  it  produces  about  500 
grammes  of  rubber. 

The  mangabeira  (Hancornia  speciosa)  is  a  slender  and 
crooked  shrub-tree,  3  to  4  metres  high,  and  abounds  on  the 
high-lying  table-lands  or  plateaux  in  the  interior  of  Brazil. 
The  trunk  has  a  diameter  of  from  0m30  to  0m35 ;  is  scantily 
leaved;  the  fruit  is  eatable  and  has  a  very  agreeable  taste. 

A  plant  of  an  extraordinary  resisting  power,  it  defies  the 
inclemency  of  the  climate,  the  absence  of  rains,  the  scarcity  of 
humidity  and  of  nourishment  from  the  soil.  It  predominates  in 
the  catingas  of  the  Northern  States,  in  the  carrascaes  of  Goyaz 
and  in  the  cerrados  of  S.  Paulo,  which  means  to  say,  that  it  is 
found  from  Maranhao  to  S.  Paulo,  now  in  the  Interior,  as  in  the 
mountain-range  of  the  Mangabeiras  between  Maranhao  and 
Goyaz,  in  the  central  Chapada  of  Minas,  in  the  Parecis  of 
Matto  Grosso  and  in  S.  Paulo  in  the  zone  comprised  between 
the  Paranapanema  River  and  the  Rio  Grande,  tributaries  of  the 
Parana  River,  and  again  on  the  littoral,  which  is  the  case  from 
Bahia  northwards  as  far  as  Ceara. 

There  are  several  different  varieties  of  this  plant,  there  being 
no  indications,  however,  tending  to  point  out  any  one  of  these 
preferable  to  another  with  regard  to  the  question  of  its  yield. 
The  latex  is  of  a  bluish  tint,  its  richness  in  rubber  varying 
greatly.  Each  mangabeira  supplies  on  an  average  one  kilogram 
of  rubber. 

Besides  the  plants  mentioned,  there  are  still  many  others 
in  Brazil  which  furnish  rubber,  but  which  continue  to  grow 
without  being  taken  advantage  of,  on  account  of  the  little  profit 
they  give. 

To  speak  only  of  those  which  exploited  on  a  small  scale 
have  yet  supplied  the  Brazilian  markets  with  an  appreciable 
product,  we  may  yet  mention  the  Massaranduba,  Mimosups 
elata,  and  Frei-Allem,  gigantic  trees  found  from  the  Amazon  and 
Para  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Minas,  abundant  in  the  milky  latex, 
which  being  coagulated  produces  a  rubber  very  similar  to  gutta- 
percha, to  which  it  serves  as  a  substitute  in,  all  the  latter's  most 
important  applications ;  and  the  Sorva,  Couma  utilis,  Muell.  Arg., 
which  grow  in  Para  and  in  the  Amazon  valley,  the  latex  of 
which,  the  leite  de  sorva,  enters,  with  a  small  coefficient  into  the 
production  of  rubber  in  these  two  States. 


17 


IV— EXTRACTION  OF  RUBBER,  METHODS 
AND  PROCESSES 

The  great  organic  and  biologic  differences  which  exist  be- 
tween rubber-trees,  exact  divers  processes  of  preparation  in 
order  to  obtain  a  complete  utilization  of  the  productive  capacity 
of  each. 

It  is,  however,  interesting  before  entering  into  a  description 
of  the  different  processes  adopted  in  Brazil,  to  here  state  what 
the  chemists  think  as  to  what  rubber  really  is. 

Rubber  is  a  carburate  of  hydrogen  which  in  the  shape  of 
white  globules  more  or  less  elongated,  are  found  suspended  in 
the  milky  latex.  The  composition  of  those  globules,  although 
even  yet,  badly  defined,  is  represented  by  the  formula  (C10  H16)  n. 
Rubber  is  generally  considered  as  a  derivative  of  the  Isoprina, 
into  which  it  transforms  itself  when  submitted  to  the  action  of 
dry  heat,  as  Bouchardat  demonstrated  by  his  experiments  in 
1879.  Treating  the  isoprina  in  a  strong  solution  of  chloridic 
acid,  an  interesting  body  is  obtained,  which  reminds  one  of 
rubber  on  account  of  its  elastic  properties.  Wallach,  Tilden, 
Weber,  Harries  and  others  gave  themselves  up  to  accurate 
studies  upon  the  composition  of  rubber ;  neverthless,  up  till 
to-day,  however,  no  definite  result  has  as  yet  been  arrived  at. 

The  latex,  a  thick  liquid  which  has  the  appearance  of  animal 
milk,  circulates  in  special  vessels,  distributed  diversely  in  the 
organism  of  certain  plants. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  the  analysis  obtained  from 
the  latex  of  the  hevea  braziliensis  by  Seelingmann,  Scott  and 
Bamber:  Seelingmann  Scott  Bamber 

Water        55  a  56%         22-32%         5515  -  5556% 

Rubber     32%         37  -  13%         4129  -  32  % 

Proteine     2%  to  3%  271%  218  -     203%' 

Resin traces  3"%  -     203% 

Ash     0*%  -     0"%: 

Sugar      417%  -     0"%' 

Oily  substances 97  %  traces 

Specific  weight:  Seelingmann,  1.019.     Bamber:  1.018. 

It  is  advisable  to  note,  that  the  proportion  of  water  may 
vary  a  great  deal,  influenced  sometimes  by  the  season  being 
either  wet  or  dry,  and  at  other  times  by  the  weakness  or  vigor 
of  the  tree  at  the  occasion  of  its  being  tapped. 

The  quantities  of  proteine,  resin  and  ash  are  dependent  on 
the  chemical  composition  of  the  soil,  those  quantities  affect  the 

18 


quality  of  the  rubber,  which  is  the  more  elastic,  resistent  and 
durable  the  smaller  the  proportion  of  those  elements. 

In  the  coagulation  of  the  latex,  the  resin  incorporates  itself 
in  the  rubber,  it  becoming  difficult  to  separate  it,  which,  how- 
ever, is  necessary;  the  proteine  or  albuminous  matter  is  the 
cause  of  the  developing  of  the  bacteria  which  occasion  the 
putrefaction  of  the  manufactured  article. 

The  method  employed  in  Brazil  in  the  extraction  of  the  latex 
and  in  the  preparation  of  rubber  from  the  heveas  trees,  is  the 
same  as  that  which  was  taught  by  the  natives  and  it  is  a  re- 
markable thing,  that  due  to  the  excellency  of  the  product  result- 
ing therefrom,  it  is  considered  even  to-day  as  the  best  system. 

The  great  production  of  rubber  in  Brazil,  is  due  to  the  ex- 
ploitation of  the  natural  seringaes.  A  "seringal"  or,  better  said 
"seringaes"  in  the  plural  sense,  are  the  forests  where  the  hevea 
trees  flourish  among  other  numerous  specimens  of  luxuriant 
vegetation,  and  in  those  regions  everybody,  i.  e.,  all  the  able- 
bodied  men,  occupy  themselves  with  the  extraction  of  rubber 
and  are  known  as  "seringueiros." 

In  order  to  exploit  the  "seringal,"  operations  are  commenced 
by  the  construction  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  at  a  place  easy  of 
access  for  navigation,  of  a  large  rustic  edifice  with  out-buildings 
and  various  sheds.  The  general  edifice  serves  as  a  dwelling- 
place  for  the  owner  or  his  representative  and  includes  a  general 
store  or  shop  with  a  tavern  which  does  business  in  selling  all 
the  necessary  articles  required  in  or  connected  with  the  life 
of  exploiting  the  "seringal,"  a  store-house  for  depositing  the 
rubber  and  an  office  or  counting-house.  The  sheds  are  the 
rudimentary  habitation-huts  of  the  "seringueiros"  and  are  some- 
times constructed  in  the  interior  of  the  forests,  so  as  to  facilitate 
to  a  greater  degree  the  work  which  they  have  in  hand. 

As  soon  as  the  forest  is  explored  and  the  seringueiras  dis- 
covered, estrades  are  opened,  these  being  winding  roads  cut  in 
the  undergrowth  and  brush-wood  with  the  "facao"  (a  species  of 
large  pruning-knife)  and  these  roads  connect  a  100  or  150  rub- 
ber trees  and  they  lead  back  to  their  original  starting  point.  At 
sunrise,  that  is  to  say,  at  6  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  ser- 
ingueiro  armed  with  a  "tergado"  a  sort  of  speer,  a  fowling-piece 
or  sporting-gun,  a  small  axe  or  hatchet,  a  pail  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  "tigelinhas,"  commences  his  work.  The  hatchet  is  the 
instrument  employed  for  tapping  the  trees ;  it  takes  the  form 
of  a  common  pole-axe,  being,  however,  generally  of  cast  iron 
and  with  the  edge  of  the  blade  blunt  rather  than  sharp,  and 
from  3  to  4  centimetres  broad.  The  tigelinhas  are  small  vessels 
or  cups  of  tin-plate  with  a  capacity  of  about  one  hundred 
grammes  and  of  a  conical  shape  cut  off  at  the  top. 

19 


The  seringueiro  commences  by  striking  the  trees  with  the 
hatchet,  whose  handle  is  about  a  metre  long,  which  permits  of 
his  making  incisions  at  about  from  3  to  3l/2  metres  from  the 
ground.  That  operation  has  for  its  object  to  make  the  latex 
ascend  from  the  roots;  the  milk  that  oozes  out  is  utilized  as 
"sernamby."  Two  days  afterwards,  the  regular  extraction  com- 
mences, a  hatchet  with  a  shorter  handle  being  then  used. 

To  bring  this  extraction  about,  "seringueiro"  makes  the 
first  incision  at  two  metres  from  the  ground,  but  those  incisions 
must  not  pierce  the  cambium  and  the  wood  and  are  as  a  general 
rule  made  at  an  inclination  of  25°.  At  the  lower  part  of  the 
incisions  made  by  the  blows,  the  "tigelinhas"  are  fixed,  whose 
sharp  and  cutting  corner  penetrates  easily  into  the  bark  of  the 
tree.  The  seringuerio  operates  thus  upon  all  the  trees  of  his 
road,  and  this  work  which  occupies  him  about  from  2  to  3  hours 
being  completed,  he  takes  the  pail  capable  of  holding  10  litres 
and  recommences  his  round,  gathering  into  that  receptacle  the 
milk  contained  in  the  tapping  cups,  which  now  empty  are  boxed 
one  into  the  other  and  deposited  close  to  the  trunk  of  each  tree. 

After  that  second  round  and  in  order  that  the  milk  shall  not 
become  deteriorated,  commences  the  most  delicate  operation, 
that  of  the  smoking  process. 

For  that  operation,  the  seringueiro  is  supplied  with  a 
"boiao,"  a  kind  of  earthen  funnel-shaped  chimney,  a  form 
made  like  a  spatula  or  putty-knife  and  a  kind  of  basin  "cuia," 
like  a  dry  gourd,  made  from  the  half  of  the  fruit  of  the 
cabaceiro  (crescencia  cuyete). 

The  fire  made  with  blocks  of  urucury  (Atalea  speciosa 
Martins)  or  with  fire-wood  of  massaranduba,  rich  in  oily  sub- 
stances, being  kindled,  the  seringueiro  places  the  "boiao"  upon 
it,  the  function  of  this  latter  being  to  canalize  the  smoke  so  that 
it  escapes  at  the  top,  which  is  open. 

Through  the  loop  of  a  cord  hanging  near  to  the  "boiao"  the 
form  is  passed  and  sustained  by  the  "seringueiro"  who  gives 
it  a  gyratory  movement ;  with  the  "cuya"  or  gourd,  he  pours 
the  latex  into  the  part  scooped  out  of  the  spatula,  which  he 
carries  off  immediately  to  the  smoke.  The  latex  thickens  and 
forming  a  thin  skin  upon  the  which  another  coating  of  latex  is 
poured  out,  which  is  also  passed  to  the  smoke.  Those  successive 
and  alternate  operations  form  the  skins,  large  balls  of  rubber, 
weighing  from  20  to  60  kilos,  which  are  the  type  exported  from . 
Brazil.  The  smoke  acting  as  a  solidifyer  and  at  the  same  time 
a  disinfectant  by  the  presence  of  creosote,  acetic  acid,  etc.,  kills 
all  the  bacteria  that  produce  putrefaction  and  hastens  by  its  heat 
the  evaporation  of  the  water. 

The  rubber  thus  formed  is  of  a  superior  quality,  but  when, 


however,  the  curds  still  deposited  in  the  basin,  are  incorporated 
with  it,  the  quality  becomes  damaged,  being  then  quoted  as 
medium  fine.  The  portion  of  milk  which  remains  adhering  to 
the  receptacle  or  which  surrounds  the  boiao  and  which  thickens 
freely,  is  reunited  into  one  single  skin,  and  constitutes  the 
"sernamby." 

On  the  following  day  the  work  recommences,  the  seringueiro 
making  new  incisions  about  7  centimetres  below  the  first,  and 
continuing  thus  until  he  reaches  the  ground. 

To  that  series  of  blows  in  the  vertical  sense,  35  on  the 
average,  is  given  the  name  arreagao.  In  each  seringueira  2 
of  these  arreagoes  can  be  made  per  year. 

That  process  which  with  small  variations  is  employed  in  all 
Amazonia,  produces,  as  is  known,  the  best  rubber  in  the  world. 
A  seringal  may  contain  in  accordance  with  its  size  from  40 
to  800  roads.  Each  seringueiro  exploits  2  roads ;  in  which  he 
works  alternatively.  The  daily  gathering  varies  between  2 
and  8  litres  of  milk,  but  an  average  of  5  litres  can  be  taken 
for  a  road  which  contains  120  seringueiras  of  35  centimetres 
diametre.  As  each  arreagao  has  35  incisions  and  the  seringueiras 
supporting  2  "arreagoes,"  we  have  thus  for  each  road  70  days  or 
140  days  for  the  2  roads;  700  litres  of  milk  produce  400  kilos 
or  in  other  words  1.666  grammes  per  tree. 

There  are  "seringaes,"  however,  in  which  that  average  is 
considerably  greater,  a  medium  of  3  kilos  per  tree  not  being  an 
exaggeration  in  some  rivers. 

Contrary  to  the  almost  sedentary  life  of  the  seringueiros,  the 
extractors  of  the  caucho  (known  as  caucheiros)  are  of  nomadic 
habits,  and  this  is  so  by  reason  of  the  barbarous  process  em- 
ployed in  the  exploitation  of  those  trees  which  is  a  ruinous  one. 

The  extraction  of  the  latex  of  the  "castilloa"  can  be  done  in 
the  same  way  as  that  of  the  latex  of  the  heveas;  the  caucheiros 
allege,  however,  that  the  cupim  introducing  itself  into  the 
wounds  made  by  the  incisions  soon  causes  the  death  of  the 
plant.  Thus  they  argue  that  if  the  tree  is  condemned,  the  best 
way  is  to  cut  it  down  so  as  to  obtain  the  greatest  benefit  possible 
out  of  it,  by  the  complete  utilization  of  the  latex  which  each 
tree  contains.  That  reasoning,  however,  has  no  foundation 
in  fact 


The  exploitation  of  the  castilloa  is  done  in  the  following 
manner:  the  "caucheiro"  penetrates  into  the  forest  and  marks 
each  castilloa  tree  that  he  finds,  with  a  cut  from  his  knife,  which 
incisions  correspond  to  a  sign  of  possession  for  extraction  later 
on.  Once  he  has  discovered  a  certain  number  of  these  trees,  he 
constructs  a  temporary  wooden  hut  for  himself  and  then  begins 

21 


his  work.  In  the  first  place  he  clears  the  brush-wood  around 
each  tree  and  cleans  away  the  undergrowth  from  the  ground,  he 
then  opens  small  cavities  in  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk  into 
which  he  fixes  the  "porringers,"  small  vessels  made  of  tin,  which 
are  to  receive  the  latex.  This  done  he  strikes  the  tree  with 
oblique  "entalhas"  of  from  1  to  ll/2  metres  in  length,  canalizing 
the  latex  which  commences  to  run  from  the  extensive  wounds,  by 
means  of  mud  gutters.  At  the  end  of  24  hours  the  little  tin 
vessels  are  full  and  their  contents  are  then  all  poured  into  a  pail, 
the  "caucheiro"  commencing  thereafter  to  cut  down  the  tree, 
so  as  to  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  latex,  existing  in  the  superior 
part  of  its  trunk.  The  tree  as  a  general  rule  is  cut  at  a  point 
above  that  where  the  incisions  were  made,  the  tree  thus  re- 
maining suspended  above  the  ground  at  one  end  by  the  lower 
part  of  the  trunk,  where  it  remains  fixed  and  at  the  other 
by  its  own  branches.  Along  the  whole  length  of  the  trunk  at 
about  a  distance  of  an  arm's  length  from  each  other,  new  cir- 
cular incisions  are  made  and  in  corresponding  cavities  on  the 
ground  are  placed  the  receiving  cups.  The  latex  thus  gathered 
is  collected  into  a  pail. 

The  thickening  is  done  with  a  solution  of  common  soap 
about  125  grammes  to  a  pail  of  water,  two  pailfulls  of  that  solu- 
tion being  necessary  to  thicken  30  litres  of  latex.  They  also 
employ  the  juice  of  a  liane  called  vetilla  which  by  the  description 
given  seems  to  belong  to  the  convolvulas  family — the  Ipomea 
patatas. 

The  thickening  process  takes  place  in  rectangular  holes  of 
1  metre  long  and  half  a  metre  broad,  whose  clayey  sides  are 
well  paved  and  into  them  the  latex  is  poured,  care  being  taken 
that  it  is  then  covered  up  with  palm  leaves  to  prevent  the  entry 
of  rain  water.  They  thus  obtain  the  caucho  planks  (rubber  in 
cakes),  which  arrive  in  the  market  full  of  impurities,  that  de- 
preciate its  value  very  much  and  it  is  not  at  all  a  rare  thing 
that  water  exists  in  cavities  in  the  interior  of  it,  thereby  in- 
creasing the  weight  and  making  the  transport  dearer. 

The  portions  of  the  latex  which  flow  out  along  the  length 
of  the  trunk  or  fall  into  the  cavities  after  that  the  cups  have 
been  taken  away,  thicken  itself  freely  and  form  the  "sernamby" 
of  caucho,  to-day  much  appreciated  in  the  rubber  markets,  be- 
cause of  its  being  purer  and  not  ofTering  errors  in  weight. 

Each  adult  tree  furnishes  on  the  average  from  50  to  56  litres 
of  latex  or  in  other  words  nearly  30  kilos  of  rubber.  Each  cake 
of  the  size  above  mentioned  weighs  nearly  60  kilos ;  it  is  thus 
necessary  to  cut  down  three  trees  so  as  to  obtain  one  cake. 

The  trees  cut  down  sprout  and  commence  to  grow  again,  but 

22 


eight  years  are  necessary  to  elapse  before  they  can  be  exploited 
anew. 

Xo  accord  has  so  far  been  established  as  to  the  best  methods 
of  extraction  to  be  employed  for  the  different  species  of  mani- 
coba,  nor  as  to  the  period  most  appropriate,  the  duration  of  the 
tapping  or  the  yield  of  the  wild  trees  or  planted  trees  of  dif- 
ferent ages. 

The  system  adopted  for  the  natural  manigoba,  consisting  in 
the  tapping  of  the  subterranean  organs,  has  been  applied  to  culti- 
vated manigoba ;  the  incisions  are  made  in  a  transversal  sense 
and  have  the  form  of  a  V  with  the  angle  more  or  less  rounded. 

The  latex  is  gathered  in  the  ground,  at  the  bottom  of  a  small 
cavity,  opened  up  on  the  occasion  of  the  discovery  of  the  parts 
destined  to  be  tapped ;  as  a  rule  the  worker  covers  the  bottom 
of  the  cavity  with  a  coat  of  clay  in  powder,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent the  penetration  of  the  latex  and  its  mixing  with  the  sandy 
soil ;  the  employment  of  tigelinhas  is  desirable  or  of  pots  of 
glazed  clay,  refractory  to  rust. 

The  latex  thickens  during  the  day,  forming  a  sort  of  flat 
ball  or  biscuit  of  rubber,  which  goes  on  augmenting  as  the 
tapping  process  is  multiplied.  At  the  end  of  a  week  the  rubber 
which  has  been  obtained,  is  gathered  together  and  washed  in 
cold  water,  with  a  view  of  eliminating  the  remains  of  the  serum 
and  other  impurities.  This  method,  although  primitive,  permits 
of  the  production  of  pure  rubber.  The  trunks  and  branches 
of  the  manigoba  are  also  cut ;  however,  such  system  occasions 
great  inconvenience.  The  extensive  flaws  heal  up  with  dif- 
ficulty, as  the  bark  of  the  tree  is  relatively  thin  the  lactiferous 
vessels  are  located  in  the  deep  layers ;  it  is  not  a  rare  thing 
that  the  death  of  the  tree  is  caused  thereby  or  that  the  attack 
of  rodent  insects  or  mushrooms  is  thereby  facilitated.  It  may 
be  of  importance  to  note,  that  the  incisions  made  simultaneously 
on  the  trunk,  the  branches  and  the  underground  parts,  speedily 
exhaust  the  manigobeiras ;  and  so  the  system  of  an  alternate 
cutting  is  preferable. 

The  tappings  are  practiced  during  the  first  six  months  of  the 
year  and  extend  themselves  over  a  period  of  from  50  to  60  days. 
(  hving  to  the  lack  of  data,  the  average  yield  of  production,  which 
varies  according  to  the  age  of  the  trees,  cannot  be  determined, 
however,  the  average  production  of  the  planted  manigobas  may 
under  reserve,  be  calculated  to  reach  during  the  space  of  60  days 
120,  180,  240,  and  300  grammes  per  tree  of  2,  3,  4  and  5  years 
respectively,  in  accordance  with  a  calculation  made  by  Dr.  L. 
Zehnter. 

The  actual  cost  price  in  the  plantations  does  not  exceed  1$500 
per  kilo,  and  might  be  reduced  through  an  improvement  in  the 

23 


systems  employed ;  the  cost  price  of  rubber  from  the  native  mani- 
goba  is  higher,  due  to  the  dearness  of  labor  and  of  freights. 


There  is  so  far  no  process  which  may  be  called  the  best  for 
extracting  rubber  from  the  mangabeira ;  the  process  in  use  varies 
with  the  region,  all  of  them,  however,  leading  to  the  complete 
extinction  of  the  plant. 

Under  the  pretext  of  the  cupim  destroying  the  plant,  attack- 
ing the  incisions  that  have  been  made,  the  latex  is  usually 
extracted  at  a  small  height  from  the  ground.  In  the  "sertoes" 
or  wild  woodlands  of  Bahia,  Pernambuco  and  Parahyba,  the 
extraction  is  done  by  making  a  spiral  cutting  from  the  thickest 
branches  to  the  ground,  where  the  cavity  is  made  for  receiving 
the  latex. 

Nevertheless,  the  incisions  with  the  cup  attached  is  now 
being  employed,  in  the  same  manner  as  is  customary  with  the 
seringueira ;  for  that  purpose,  the  exploiters  make  horizontal 
incisions  or  in  shape  of  a  V,  with  a  small  instrument  called  an 
alegre,  penetrating  the  entire  coating  of  the  bark,  in  the  full 
length  of  the  trunk,  from  the  thickest  branches  down  to  the 
base,  about  45  centimetres  distance  one  from  another. 

The  latex  is  thickened,  sometimes  simply  with  water  in  the 
proportion  of  3  to  1,  and  at  other  times  with  chlorate  of  sodium 
alone,  or  with  a  mixture  of  alum,  as  is  customary  in  Bahia  and 
in  S.  Paulo,  or  now  again  by  the  action  of  alum-stone,  double 
sulphate  of  aluminium  and  of  potassium  as  is  done  in  Per- 
nambuco, Parahyba,  and  Rio  Grande  do  Norte.  All  those  pro- 
cesses present  serious  inconveniences,  such  as  the  entry  of  water 
augmenting  the  weight,  the  baneful  effects  and  dampness  arising 
from  the  use  of  a  large  proportion  of  salt,  or  the  loss  of  elasticity 
due  to  the  last  mentioned  process,  which  turns  the  rubber  cracky 
and  resinous.  The  smoking  process  seems  in  every  way  to 
be  advisable  whenever  the  richness  of  the  milky-latex  in  rub- 
ber is  perfectly  comparable  to  that  of  the  hevea. 

Whilst  it  is  affirmed  that  the  production  per  tree  is  from  3 
to  5  kilogrammes  it  is  more  prudent  to  calculate  the  average 
capacity  of  each  tree  as  at  1  kilogramme. 


24 


THE  ECONOMIC  ORGANIZATION  OF  RUBBER 
EXPLOITATION 

The  economic  organization  of  the  exploitation  of  rubber  in 
the  Amazonic  valley  still  remains  in  its  rudimentary  condition, 
continuing  almost  exactly  on  the  same  lines  as  those  adopted 
when  the  production  of  this  article — one  of  the  principal  sources 
of  the  wealth  of  Brazil — first  began  to  open  up. 

This  unaltered  condition  of  affairs  in  the  modifying  of  the 
economical  processes,  is  the  consequence  of  the  continuance  of 
certain  conditions  such  as  the  existence  of  vast  regions  still 
entirely  unexplored,  the  progressive  penetration  of  the  serifi- 
gueiros  guided  by  the  course  of  the  rivers  into  far  away  regions 
where  rapid  means  of  communication  are  completely  lacking, 
the  scarcity  of  labor,  and  the  necessity  of  capital  being  embarked 
in  the  extraction  of  rubber. 

The  regime  of  private  property  is  still  limited,  and  does  not 
extend  beyond  a  few  kilometres  into  the  Interior,  starting  from 
the  banks  of  the  rivers,  since  the  greater  part  of  the  lands  still 
continue  to  be  the  property  of  the  States  either  of  Amazonas  or 
of  Para,  and — in  the  territory  of  the  Acre — of  the  Federal 
Government. 

With  the  object  of  peopling  the  rubber-producing  regions 
endeavors  are  being  made  to  facilitate  the  acquiring  of  prop- 
erties by  furnishing  their  owners  with  adequate  guarantees  of 
protection,  special  Public  Departments  having  already  been 
created  in  the  State  of  Amazonas  and  Para  devoted  to  the  fiscali- 
zation  of  the  regime  of  lands;  and  the  regime  of  lands  in  the 
Acre  Territory  is  about  to  be  regulated  at  once  by  the  Federal 
Government  in  accordance  with  the  determinations  set  forth  in 
the  new  economic  measure  known  as  the  Rubber  Defense  Act. 

The  proprietory  question  originated  itself  in  the  concession 
of  lands  granted  under  certain  conditions  such  as  that  of  its 
effective  exploitation  and  cultivation,  colonization,  etc.,  and  by 
the  legitimation  of  the  possession.  These  last  were  established 
in  the  following  manner: 

The  explorer  who  penetrated  into  the  forest  in  search  of 
seringaes,  examined  the  banks  of  the  river  by  which  he  went 
up  and  when  he  verified  the  existence  of  a  favorable  zone,  he 
landed  and  after  a  careful  exploration  under  the  direction  of 
specialist-workmen  called  "matteiros"  (foresters)  he  settled 
down  and  gave  himself  up  to  the  exploitation  of  the  "seringal"  he 
selected. 

25 


That  occupation  of  virgin  ground  and  its  being  made  use  of 
constituted  the  act  of  possession,  the  first  step  towards  acquir- 
ing the  property.  In  order  to  definitely  assure  the  dominion  of 
the  lands  selected,  it  became  necessary  to  obtain  a  title  of  owner- 
ship from  the  Government  of  the  State  in  which  these  lands 
were  located,  this  being  drawn  up  only  after  that  the  respective 
marking  out  and  survey  by  an  authorized  engineer  or  sur- 
veyor, the  depositing  of  the  respective  plans,  the  verification 
that  no  anterior  rights  or  claims  existed  on  the  part  of  third 
parties,  as  also  the  payment  of  the  respective  taxes  being  satis- 
fied, which  last  averaged  about  5$000  per  hectare. 

Only  after  that  all  these  formalities  had  been  complied  with, 
was  the  concession  granted  definitely,  and  the  possession  con- 
sidered as  complete.  The  title  deeds  of  the  property  with  the 
respective  specifications  is  registered  in  special  blocks,  which 
will  serve  as  proof  in  case  of  future  dispute  and  will  furnish 
authentic  documents  in  place  of  the  property-titles  that  may 
have  been  mislaid  or  lost.  Once  the  concession  legalized  and 
the  possession  marked  out,  the  property  rights  are  considered 
irrefutable. 

The  dominion  of  the  lands  being  assured,  their  usefulness 
will  depend  upon  the  co-existence  of  two  essential  factors — 
labor  and  capital. 

In  the  regions  of  the  Amazonian  valley,  sparingly  peopled 
by  the  want  of  direct  immigration,  the  work  is  done  by  the 
natives  and  principally  by  Cearenses,  people  from  Ceara. 

Under  the  general  designation  of  Cearenses  are  comprised 
the  populations  of  the  northeast  of  the  country  from  Bahia  to 
Piauhy,  a  strong  race  endowed  with  rare  energy.  Having 
immigrated  from  their  native  state  fleeing  from  privations  to 
which  the  periodical  dry  seasons  reduce  them,  they  arrive  com- 
pletely without  the  means  of  subsistence,  it  being  necessary  for 
the  owners  of  the  "seringas"  who  contract  their  services  to  take 
measures  for  their  transport,  alimentation  and  maintenance  in  the 
seringaes  until  with  the  delivery  of  the  rubber  collected,  they 
find  themselves  in  a  position  to  liquidate  the  debts  that  they 
have  contracted  and  the  expenses  that  have  been  occasioned. 

On  the  other  hand  in  their  turn  the  owners  of  seringaes  not 
disposing  of  capital  are  placed  under  the  necessity  of  raising 
loans  with  which  to  defray  the  exploitation  of  their  lands.  These 
resources  are  furnished  them  by  the  traders,  part  in  money  and 
part  in  merchandise,  these  traders  being  known  as  aviadores 
whilst  the  proprietors  are  called  patrons  or  aviados. 

The  extensive  credits  opened  by  the  traders  constitute  acts  of 
confidence,  being  guaranteed  more  by  the  activity  and  initiative 
of  the  proprietors  of  the  seringaes,   than    by    their    respective 

26 


properties ;  the  heavy  burdens  with  which  these  loanings  or 
advances  of  money  are  weighed  down,  have  their  origin  in  the 
risk  which  is  run  by  advancing  such  capital,  due  to  the  diffi- 
culties of  collecting  the  debts  contracted  and  the  far  distant 
nature  of  the  lands  given  in  guarantee.  It  frequently  happens 
that  the  traders  do  not  dispose  of  sufficient  means  for  carrying 
out  all  these  lending  operations  in  which  case  they  fall  back 
upon  the  exporting  houses,  who  advance  them  the  necessary 
money,  against  a  contract  to  hand  over  the  rubber  at  a  certain 
date  and  at  prices  previously  fixed. 

Thus  is  established  a  successive  dependency  of  the  seringueiro 
on  the  owner  of  the  property,  this  latter  in  his  turn  on  the 
merchant-trader  and  finally  of  the  merchant-trader  upon  the 
exporting  house. 

Thereafter  it  is  seen  how  grievously  the  system  of  want  of 
capital  acts  on  the  whole  system  on  the  exportation  of  rubber 
and  the  long  series  of  intermediaries. 

Let  us  see  now  what  is  the  capital  which  the  owner  of  the 
seringal  requires  to  possess  for  an  exploitation  of  say  200  roads. 

A  seringal  with  200  roads  exacts  altogether  the  work  of  100 
men,  whose  engagements  in  the  region  where  they  reside  and 
their  transport  as  far  as  the  "seringal"  costs  on  an  average 
40  :000$000  and  to  each  one  of  them  is  supplied  a  sum  of  350$000 
destined  to  defray  the  costs  of  purchase  of  the  indispensable 
material  for  making  a  commencement  with  the  work  of  exploita- 
tion ;  out  of  an  initial  sum  estimated  at  from  75 :000$000  to 
80  :000$000  including  casual  expenses. 

Arrived  at  their  destination,  the  seringueiros,  as  they  find 
themselves  completely  without  means,  continue  to  be  a  burden 
on  the  budget  of  their  contractors  during  the  period  of  the  clear- 
ing the  forests  of  brush-wood  and  undergrowth,  and  the  cutting 
of  roads,  which  are  the  preliminaries  to  the  gathering  in  of  the 
rubber.  Up  till  the  date  of  the  final  delivery,  which  takes  place 
from  6  to  7  months  afterwards,  the  proprietor  expends  nearly 
100 :000$000  with  the  feeding  and  maintenance  of  the  serin- 
gueiros, which  is  but  the  preface  to  a  total  sum  of  180  :000$000 
inscribed  on  the  books  of  the  aviador  or  merchant-trader  as 
being  the  indebtedness  of  the  owner  of  the  seringal. 

This  latter  in  order  to  meet  the  charges  of  the  up-keep  of  the 
seringueiros,  establishes  "vendas"  or  selling-stores,  by  means  of 
which  he  supplies  not  only  the  goods  of  first  necessity  for  con- 
sumption, but  also  the  tools,  utensils  and,  indeed,  everything 
that  is  required  for  the  proper  exploitation  of  the  "seringal." 

These  "vendas"  or  supply-stores  are  stocked  by  the  mer- 
chant-trader of  Belem  and  Manaos,  who  send  them  periodically 
in  steamers  or  steam  launches,  the  necessary  merchandise.  Ac- 

27 


cording  to  the  season  of  the  year,  the  rainy  or  the  dry  season, 
the  greater  or  less  the  distance  to  be  navigated,  in  short,  in 
accordance  with  the  condition  of  navigability  of  the  rivers,  the 
trips  are  made  fortnightly,  quarterly  or  perhaps  only  twice  a 
year. 

The  merchandise  dispatched  is  debited  to  the  owner  of  the 
"seringa!"  at  the  invoice  price,  augmented  by  the  high  expenses 
for  insurance,  freight  and  a  commission  which  varies  from 
20  to  30  per  cent,  according  to  the  time-term  stipulated  for  the 
payment  in  cash  or  the  delivery  of  the  rubber. 

The  owner  of  the  "seringal"  in  his  turn  re-sells  in  retail  the 
merchandise  received,  putting  on  a  high  profit  to  its  original 
price ;  the  seringueiros  who  already  pay  interest  at  the  rate  of 
20  per  cent  upon  the  advance  of  the  350$000  which  is  made  to 
them  at  the  time  of  their  being  contracted,  are  obliged  to  supply 
their  needs  exclusively  in  the  store  of  the  proprietor  of  the 
"seringal"  and  to  hand  him  the  rubber  which  they  may  have 
gathered  in  payment  thereof. 

The  initial  supplying  of  the  utensils  amounting  to  200$000 
added  to  the  cost  of  the  journey  which  runs  for  account  of  the 
seringueiro  himself,  absorb  the  350$000  of  the  advance;  and 
his  expenses,  whilst  the  extraction  of  the  rubber  is  proceed- 
ing— which  lasts  for  6  or  7  months — totals  up  to  about 
1 :000$000,  so  that  when  he  comes  to  hand  over  the  rubber,  he 
is  already  responsible  to  the  proprietor  of  the  "seringal"  for  an 
amount  of  about  350$000  including  the  payment  for  the  renting 
of  the  road  explored. 

His  production  being  on  an  average  of  about  400  kilos  (in 
certain  regions  it  is  much  greater),  the  worker  finishes  his  en- 
terprise with  a  very  small  profit  and  it  is  not  a  rare  case  that  he 
is  not  able  to  satisfy  all  his  indebtedness,  a  circumstance,  this 
latter,  which  keeps  him  continually  dependent  upon  the  owner 
of  the  "seringal." 

On  handing  over  the  rubber,  the  conditions  of  payment  are 
adjusted  and  these  are  generally  made  in  one  of  the  two  fal- 
lowing ways :  either  the  seringueiro  sells  the  rubber  directly  to 
the  proprietor  of  the  "seringal"  at  a  reduction  of  one-third  upon 
the  prices  ruling  in  the  markets  of  Belem  or  Manaos;  or  he  en- 
charges  him  to  sell  it  in  the  referred-to  market  with  a  discount 
of  35  kilos  of  rubber  or  with  a  discount  of  from  10  to  15  per  cent, 
of  the  net  price  of  such  sale,  given  in  payment  of  the  renting  of 
the  road  exploited. 

This  defective  economic  organization  of  the  exploitation  of 
rubber  has,  as  its  consequence,  the  high  costs  of  production 
which  to-day  oscillate  between   3$000  to  3$500  per   kilo.     This 

28 


disadvantageous  situation,  however,  is  not  a  permanent  one  and 
may  be  remedied. 

We  shall  leave  for  a  special  chapter  the  explanation  of  the 
means  recently  adopted  for  bettering  the  condition  of  the  serin- 
gueiros,  augmenting  their  productive  capacity  and  recompensing 
them  more  justly  for  their  work. 


TRANSPORTS  AND  FREIGHTS 

The  problem  of  transports  and  freight  continues  to  be  one  of 
the  most  palpitating  questions  in  Brazil,  notwithstanding  the 
great  progress  in  this  particular  made  during  the  last  10  years. 

The  considerable  increase  in  the  mercantile  marine  and  the 
incessant  construction  of  the  numerous  railroads  of  penetration, 
have  not  been  able  to  keep  pace  with  the  extraordinary  develop- 
ment of  the  country  and  its  notable  economic  expansion,  the 
national  commerce  continuing  to  feel  the  want  of  further  means 
of  transport  and  to  suffer  from  the  very  high  rates  of  freights. 

In  Amazonia,  the  difficulty  of  communication  has  become 
still  more  felt  because  of  the  vast  region  and  territories  em- 
braced in  this  great  State,  sparingly  peopled  and  whose  centres 
of  production  are  located  so  far  distant  from  the  exporting  mar- 
kets of  Manaos  and  Belem  de  Para. 

Watered  in  every  direction  by  innumerable  great  rivers, 
tributaries  of  the  great  river — the  Amazon — the  greatest  in  the 
world,  the  Amazonic  region  still  remains  to  a  very  great  part 
unexplored,  inestimable  riches  susceptible  of  being  extracted, 
lying  unutilized,  in  virtue  of  the  deficiency  in  navigation ;  in  fact, 
if  the  principal  rivers  are  navigated  regularly  to  some  extent, 
even  though  sparingly,  others  leading  to  immensely  rich  regions 
are  very  rarely  navigated  by  either  ship  or  boats,  which  might 
assure  the  transport  of  the  products  gathered. 

Many  and  divers  are  the  circumstances  which  concur  towards 
bringing  about  this  state  of  affairs,  but  the  most  important  in 
resume  is  that  of  the  want  of  capital  for  the  construction  of 
ships  and  the  establishment  of  regular  lines  of  fluvial  navigation 
as  also  the  obstacles  offered  either  by  the  irregular  courses  of 
some  rivers  obstructed  by  waterfalls,  snoots  and  rapids,  or  simply 
obstructed  by  the  trunks  of  trees  and  other  materials  or  by  the 
diminutive  volume  of  water  during  the  dry  seasons  which  makes 
impossible  navigation  of  even  ordinary  draught. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  phases  of  the  Amazonian  problem 
is,  however,  in  the  regulating  and  increasing  of  the  navigation 
of  the  rivers,  with  the  object  of  assuring  ample  transport  facilities 

29 


and  the  approximation  to  the  centres  of  production  with  the 
consuming  markets.  The  opening  up  of  the  ways  of  fluvial  com- 
munication is  an  essential  condition  to  the  progress  of  the 
Amazonic  region,  by  the  lesser  expenditure  required  by  trans- 
port upon  water  in  comparison  with  land  transportation  which  in 
those  regions  would  be  particularly  difficult  and  costly. 

The  steamers  and  boats  which  set  out  from  Manaos  or  Belem 
for  the  Interior,  make  the  passage  generally,  over-charged  with 
merchandise  which  by  reason  of  accumulation  and  its  defective 
packing  suffers  not  rarely  serious  damages  which  has  the  result 
of  bringing  about  a  notable  increment  in  prices.  As  a  general 
rule  the  cargo  being  greater  than  the  space  requisite  to  its 
accommodation,  makes  the  navigation  extremely  difficult,  the 
steamers  thus  not  being  able  to  make  head-way  against  the  cur- 
rent, which  flows  at  the  rate  of  from  ,3  to  5  miles  an  hour,  or 
desiring  to  diminish  the  expense  in  the  consumption  of  coal, 
seek  out  the  waters  the  less  agitated  and  approach  as  much  as 
possible  the  banks  of  the  river. 

The  want  of  minute  'hydrographic  charts  and  the  imprudence 
of  the  captains,  as  also  of  the  masters  of  steam  launches  and 
other  floating  material,  have,  as  a  consequence,  the  bringing 
about  of  frequent  strandings,  which  even  though  they  may  not 
cause  damage  to  the  cargo  involve  interruptions  in  the  trip 
sufficiently  prejudicial. 

The  unloadings  are  made  frequently  on  the  banks  of  the 
rivers  under  little  favorable  conditions,  by  reason  of  the  want  of 
wharves ;  are  very  slow  and  occasion  besides  lamentable  delays, 
very  heavy  expenses  principally  for  the  packages  of  great  weight. 

One  of  the  causes  which  most  determine  the  dearness  of 
transport  in  Amazonia,  is  the  supply  of  combustibles  to  the 
steamers,  these  latter  taking  in  coal  only  at  the  port  of  departure 
in  Belem  or  Manaos,  and  this  being  consumed,  purchase  wood 
fuel  along  the  route  just  as  they  require  it,  and  for  a  high  price, 
subjecting  themselves  thus  to  the  delays  incident  to  loading,  at 
times  very  great.  Coal  mines  in  the  basin  of  the  Caqueta  have 
been  discovered,  but  so  far  it  has  not  been  possible  to  derive  any 
benefit  from  them,  owing  to  the  want  of  the  necessary  studies 
and  analysis,  which  only  now  the  Federal  Government  is  begin- 
ning to  have  made. 

For  the  betterment  of  this  state  of  things  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment also  pretends  to  contract  with  a  large  public  company  for 
the  establishment  of  coal  depots  and  combustible  oil,  at  the  most 
appropriate  points  of  the  rivers  on  which  the  greatest  movement 
takes  place  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  so  that  the  steamers 
may  be  supplied  for  prices  according  to  a  tabular  statement 
previously  approved  for  each  year. 

30 


The  descent  of  the  floating  material  by  the  rivers  is  much 
less  onerous,  as  the  consumption  of  combustibles  is  thereby  con- 
siderably diminished,  thanks  to  the  current  which  gives  an  easy 
impulsion  to  the  floating  material;  the  trips  are  notwithstanding 
slow,  much  time  being  lost  in  picking  up  cargo,  almost  exclu- 
sively rubber,  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers. 

The  irregularity  in  the  navigation  either  due  to  the  deficiency 
of  the  floating  material  or  by  the  natural  obstacles  that  the 
flooding  of  the  rivers  bring  about,  cause  extensive  prejudice,  as 
it  obliges  the  large  cargoes  of  merchandise  upon  whose  price 
high  interest  is  collected  and  occasions  them  considerable  loss 
of  goods  deteriorated  by  their  remaining  for  a  long  time  in  sheds 
and  by  the  damaging  effect  of  heat  and  dampness. 

From  thence  arises  the  lamentable  dearness  of  life  and  the 
bad  alimentation,  with  their  evil  results  on  the  health  of  the 
inhabitants  of  those  far-away-regions. 

The  retention  in  the  seringaes  of  large  stocks  of  rubber  de- 
prived of  the  means  of  transport  must  also  not  be  forgotten  and 
its  coming  simultaneously  on  to  the  market  at  certain  times, 
being  taken  advantage  of  by  speculators  is  an  important  cause 
of  the  fall  in  prices  which  affects  the  interests  of  producres  to 
an  appreciable  degree. 

Regularity  and  frequency  in  navigation,  permitting  successive 
and  regular  supplies  of  rubber  would  diminish  in  notable  pro- 
portions the  cost  of  production,  since  it  would  cheapen  the  cost 
of  labor  and  avoid  the  great  oscillations  usual  in  the  prices. 

In  order  to  obtain  that  desideratum  it  is  not  sufficient  to 
create  new  lines  of  navigation  nor  to  augment  the  number  of 
floating  material  or  better  their  conditions,  but  it  is  necessary 
to  adopt  certain  complementary  measures.  Thus  in  the  im- 
possibility of  preparing  from  the  outset  minute  hydrographic 
charts,  a  measure  which  would  require  great  expenditure ;  it  were 
advisable  in  order  to  make  navigation  more  secure  to  indicate 
by  means  of  small  light  houses  and  illuminated  buoys  of  acety- 
line.  the  dangerous  points  which  it  is  desirable  to  avoid. 

In  order  to  obviate  the  difficulties  created  by  the  formation 
of  sand  banks,  by  the  accumulation  of  trunks  of  trees,  and  of 
obstacles  of  all  kinds,  it  is  necessary  that  attention  be  paid  con- 
stantly to  the  cleansing  of  the  rivers  and  dragging  them,  in 
cases  where  the  obstructions  cannot  be  removed  by  other  means 
and  the  construction  of  railways  and  wagon  roads  connecting 
the  navigable  points. 

It  would  be  of  the  greatest  utility  to  bring  about  the  exten- 
sion and  opening  up  of  telegraphic  lines  joining  the  producing 
centres  with  the  central  markets,  such  measures  would  have 
the  most  beneficient  results  as  much  for  the  owners  of  seringaes 

31 


as  for  the  shipowners,  these  latter  being  once  aware  of  such 
facilities  would  cause  their  ships  to  be  directed  to  the  points 
where  they  were  required  to  discharge  merchandise  or  take  in 
rubber  or  vice-versa  and  thus  avoid  all  uncertainty  upon  the 
advantages  to  be  reaped  from  those  trips,  because  of  the  want 
of  knowledge  of  the  cargoes  that  are  being  reserved  for  them, 
and  those  who  are  in  contact  with  them  in  the  markets  where 
the  product  is  sold  may  be  advised  as  to  the  quotations  and  the 
market  prices  of  the  merchandise  so  that  they  may  take  advan- 
tage of  the  most  favorable  times  for  effecting  their  transactions. 

The  message  presented  by  His  Excellency  Marchal  Hermes 
da  Fonseca,  President  of  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  of 
Brazil  on  the  third  of  May  of  this  current  year,  made  special 
reference  to  the  services  of  the  radio-telegraph  in  the  territory  of 
the  Acre,  expressing  himself  in  the  following  terms : 

"The  three  radio-telegraphic  stations  that  have  been  con- 
tracted for  in  December  of  1910,  are  now  in  full  working  order, 
those  of  the  Rio  Branco  and  Senna  Madueira  having  been  in- 
augurated in  September  of  1911  and  in  February  of  this  year 
that  of  Cruzeiro  de  Sul,  which  besides  speaking  with  those  two 
and  therefore  with  Manaos,  communicates  also  with  Iquitos  in 
the  Republic  of  Peru. 

In  order  to  complete  this  very  useful  improvement  ordered  to 
be  done  in  such  a  happy  hour,  there  were  also  contracted  for 
two  other  stations,  one  of  these  being  in  Xapury  and  the  other 
in  Taruaca,  places  having  a  great  future  before  them  and  already 
containing  an  appreciable  population  as  well  as  a  notable  material 
development. 

With  the  installation  of  those  two  stations,  the  territory  will 
be  perfectly  well  equipped  in  regard  to  the  question  of  tele- 
graphic communications. 

As  a  consequence  of  the  dearness  and  the  difficulties  in  the 
means  of  transport  we  get  the  excessive  rises  in  freight,  which 
at  times  are  equal  to  and  are  often  greater  than  the  value 
of  the  merchandise  transported ;  the  truth  is  that  the  crisis  in 
rubber  made  them  suffer  a  certain  fall  and  we  no  longer  see  such 
a  thing  happen  as  that  the  shipowner  pays  for  the  price  of  his 
steamers  in  two  round  trips. 

The  dominating  principle  is  that  of  liberty  of  commerce.  In 
order  to  assure  regular  services  on  the  principal  rivers,  the 
Federal  Government  as  well  as  the  Governments  of  the  States  of 
Amazonas  and  Para,  subsidize  certain  companies  whose  tables  of 
freight  charges  are  approved  by  the  Public  Powers.  That  these 
are  still  very  high  is  shown  by  the  fact  of  competition  which 
in  certain  lines  takes  place  between  the  subsidized  companies 
and  private  shipowners ;  the  latter,  however,  not  being  able  to  go 

32 


beyond  the  tariff  tables  of  the  former,  they  nevertheless  obtain 
freights  and  passengers  which  proportion  them  high  profits, 
demonstrating  thus  that  the  tables  of  freight  tariffs  of  the  sub- 
sidized companies  are  still  a  long  way  from  the  maximum  of 
reduction. 

The  Commercial,  Industrial  and  Agricultural  Congress  which 
took  place  in  Manaos  from  the  22nd  to  27th  of  February  of 
1910,  considering  this  position,  resolved  to  recommend  to  the 
Public  Powers  the  remodelling  of  the  actual  freight  tariffs 
principally  in  that  part  of  them  which  relate  to  alimentary  goods, 
necessary  to  the  sustaining  of  the  extractors  of  rubber  and  in 
the  sense  of  their  being  substantially  cheapened. 

Even  to-day  one  of  the  best  businesses  in  the  Amazonic 
regions  consists  in  chartering  steamers  for  trafficking  on  the 
rivers. 

If  the  freight  rates  on  the  sections  served  by  the  subsidized 
lines  are  high,  greater  still  are  these  on  the  less  favored  sections 
where  the  rapids  of  the  rivers  flowing  among  the  seringaes, 
make  navigation  difficult,  because  in  these  latter  there  being  no 
freight  tables,  they  make  the  price  according  to  their  judgment, 
such  prices  of  transport  being  contracted  directly  according  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  occasion  with  the  shipper,  who  has  to 
pay  the  price  as  the  masters  of  the  steamers  are  pleased  or  re- 
solved to  charge. 

The  owners  of  seringaes  subject  themselves  to  the  heavy 
burdens  which  they  are  bound  to  put  up  with,  in  the  hope  of 
escaping  the  damage  that  the  retention  of  their  produce  for 
want  of  transport  would  cause  them  . 

It  is  not  only  the  fluvial  navigation  freights  that  are  much 
too  burdensome,  for  the  freights  for  ocean  navigation  are  also 
burdened  with  this  grave  defect  and  thus  it  is  that  despite  the 
fact  of  the  distance  which  separate  Brazil  from  New  York  and 
from  London,  is  only  half  that  between  the  consuming  mar- 
kets and  the  east,  the  freights  for  the  latter  are  incomparably 
less.  It  behooves  the  Governments  of  countries  producing 
rubber  in  South  America  to  come  to  an  arrangement  so  as  to 
confer  adequate  premiums  on  the  navigation  companies  to 
Europe  and  to  the  United  States,  who  cheapen  their  freights 
and  cut  down  in  a  satisfactory  manner  the  duration  of  the 
voyage. 


33 


INTERNAL  MARKETS  FOR  RUBBER— ORGAN- 
IZATION AND  WORKING— TYPES 
AND  QUOTATIONS 

Located  in  the  centre  of  the  most  important  rubber  produc- 
ing region  of  the  world,  Belem  and  Manaos,  the  capitals  of 
the  two  great  states  of  the  north,  are,  in  Brazil,  the  principal 
markets  of  that  product.  Nearly  90  per  cent,  of  the  Brazilian 
exportation  proceeds  from  there,  the  16,000  tons  of  rubber 
which  each  of  these  markets  export  annually  gives  place  to  a 
considerable  mass  of  business. 

If  it  be  true  that  the  commercial  transactions  gyrate  around 
equal  quantities  of  rubber,  Belem  has  the  advantage  over 
Manaos,  because  it  is  the  seat  of  a  great  part  of  the  large  ex- 
porting houses  that  operate  in  the  two  capitals.  Its  geographical 
situation  which  permits  of  more  rapid  communication  with  the 
markets  of  the  south,  and  with  foreign  ports,  contributes  also 
towards  its  greater  commercial  importance. 

The  uses  and  customs  are  identical  in  the  two  markets. 
Commerce  obeys  a  rule  above  all  unfavorable  to  the  sellers  who 
cannot  put  a  value  on  their  merchandise  but  are  forced  before 
all  things  to  accept  the  price  imposed  by  the  buyers.  That  dis- 
advantageous condition  of  dependency  is  the  natural  outcome  of 
the  deficient  economic  organization  in  the  exploitation  of  the 
rubber  industry  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon.  Reference  has 
already  been  made  in  another  place  to  the  burdensome  com- 
mercial relations  between  the  seringueiros  and  the  patrons  or 
proprietors  of  seringaes  and  between  the  same  patrons  and 
the  commercial  traders.  The  same  vices  and  defects  are  to 
be  found  in  the  relations  between  the  commercial  traders  and 
the  great  exporting  houses.  Those  latter,  possessors  of  large 
capital  and  united  together  in  the  common  interests,  dominate 
the  market,  which,  weakened  by  successive  crises  and  always 
in  a  precarious  state  cannot  oppose  them  an  efficacious  re- 
sistence. 

That  situation  can  only  be  modified  in  the  case  of  the  actual 
economic  and  commercial  methods,  which  place  in  the  hands  of 
the  merchant-trader  all  the  responsibility  of  the  conduction  of 
business  in  the  place,  without  at  the  same  time  arming  them 
with  the  means  of  defence  against  unrestricted  speculations. 

The  merchant-trader's  houses  are  the  intermediaries  between 
the  seringueiros  and  the  exporting  houses.  But,  their  principal 
function  is  that  of  furnishing  the   seringueiro  during  the  year 

34 


all  the  goods  necessary  to  sustain  him  and  his  employes  as  well 
as  supplying  him  with  tools,  utensils,  wearing  apparel  and  in 
fact,  everything  that  may  be  necessary  to  his  life  in  the 
seringaes. 

This  supplying  is  done  on  credit,  that  is  to  say,  against  the 
remittance  of  rubber  produced  by  the  borrower  and  which  is 
sold  on  its  arrival  by  the  merchant-trader  to  the  exporting 
houses. 

The  merchant-trader  thus  requires  large  capital  so  as  to  meet 
the  engagements  that  he  assumes  in  the  market  with  the  great 
and  numerous  supplies,  which  he  is  obliged  to  make. 

It  is  incumbent  on  him  also  to  transport  the  same  for  which 
he  nearly  always  employs  steamers  of  his  own,  in  order  to  bring 
the  merchandise  to  its  destination  in  far-away  regions,  bringing 
back  on  the  return  trip  the  rubber  collected  by  his  aviados,  i.  e., 
his  borrowers  of  the  seringaes. 

The  responsibilities  assumed  become  due  on  the  occasion  of 
the  arrival  of  the  cargoes  of  rubber.  In  fact,  it  is  exactly  at 
this  moment  that  the  merchant-trader  is  most  in  need  of 
money,  because  besides  the  imperious  duty  of  paying  the 
amount  of  his  debts  and  the  immediate  necessity  which  he  has  of 
furnishing  new  supplies  to  his  clients  the  aviados,  he  has  still 
yet  expenses  to  disburse  with  the  repair  and  fitting  out  of  the 
steamers,  which  owing  to  the  bad  conditions  in  the  navigation 
of  the  rivers  return  nearly  always  in  a  damaged  condition ; 
balances  to  pay  to  the  seringueiros  whose  debts  were  relatively 
small  or  advances  to  make  to  those  whose  production  was  in- 
ferior in  value  to  the  supply  sent,  but  who  required  a  new  re- 
source under  the  danger  of  otherwise  not  being  able  ever  to 
liquidate  their  debt. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  aviador  or  merchant-trader  has  no  other 
remedy,  but  to  sell  without  delay  the  rubber  which  has  been 
consigned  to  him  and  that  is  the  psychological  moment  for  the 
decided  action  of  the  buyers. 

Reduced  as  to  number,  well  informed  about  the  business 
and  in  the  possession  of  daily  and  direct  notices  from  the  con- 
suming markets,  perfectly  bound  up  to  them  by  a  question  of 
mutual  interest,  they  decide  to  make  the  price  for  the  merchan- 
dise that  is  offered  to  them.  It  is  not  always  that  that  price 
corresponds  in  reality  to  those  of  the  foreign  market,  but  the 
apprehension  that  seizes  the  merchant-trader  that  moved  by  their 
interests  the  buyers  may  resolve  to  retire  the  offer,  does  not 
permit  him  either  to  hesitate  or  resist.  He  hands  over  the  mer- 
chandise with  a  small  profit  and  not  uncommonly  with  a  loss. 

Treating  of  an  article  which  up  till  to-day  has  been  produced 
in  a  quantity  inferior  to  the  necessity  of  the  industry,  whose 

35 


price  was  kept  up  high,  much  above  that  which  might  be  called 
a  remunerative  price,  that  inversion  of  the  law  of  economics  is 
a  very  curious  one,  because,  in  this  case,  it  is  not  the  producer 
who  imposes  the  price,  but  the  buyer  who  does  so. 

The  difficulties  which  the  merchant-trader  had  to  fight 
against,  have  been  increased  lately  with  the  advent  of  the 
"regatoes,"  a  species  of  barter-commission  travelers  on  the  rivers. 
This  trade  is  exercised  by  individuals  acting  for  their  own  ac- 
count or  as  agents  of  the  merchants  and  who  go  up  the  rivers 
with  merchandise,  doing  business  at  sight  in  exchange  for 
money  or  rubber,  diverting  in  this  way  a  large  part  of  the  trans- 
actions until  now  exercised  through  the  inter-medium  of  the 
merchant-traders. 

The  principal  causes  of  the  precarious  position  of  the 
"aviadores"  or  merchant-traders  are  the  lack  of  adequate  capital 
and  the  want  of  banking  facilities  and  other  establishments  of 
credit  which  might  come  to  their  aid. 

The  export  houses,  however,  operate  with  the  greatest  firm- 
ness. They  discount  the  drafts  for  the  rubber  bought,  in  the 
agencies  of  the  English  banks,  and  with  the  product  of  this 
operation  pay  the  merchant-traders,  and  as  these  drafts  are  at 
90  days  sight,  it  is  only  after  the  rubber  is  sold  in  New  York 
or  in  Liverpool  that  they  satisfy  their  indebtedness,  thus  traffick- 
ing almost  covered  from  any  risk  whatsoever. 


The  aviador  or  merchant-trader  receives  the  rubber  by  the 
weight  which  it  shows  at  the  moment  of  being  unloaded;  if  the 
trip  is  a  long  one  the  shortage  in  weight  of  the  rubber  may  be 
as  much  as  15  per  cent. ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  there  has  been 
no  time,  owing  to  the  shortness  of  the  trip,  for  such  a  thing  to 
happen,  it  is  certain  that  on  its  being  magazined  or  stored-up, 
it  will  continue  to  quebrar,  i.  e.,  diminish  in  weight.  Thus,  there- 
fore, it  is  to  the  interest  of  all  parties  concerned  to  sell  it  and 
export  it  as  soon  after  its  arrival  as  possible,  which,  however, 
does  not  mean  to  say  that  the  question  of  shortage  is  not  an 
element  which  comes  into  play  in  making  the  estimate  of  its 
value. 

The  classifying  of  the  rubber  is  done  upon  the  occasion  of 
its  sale,  this  being  an  operation  which  necessitates  a  long  ex- 
perience and  practice  in  the  knowledge  of  the  article. 

Two  workmen  with  iron  instruments  which  they  call  "gatos," 
take  hold  of  the  skin  (smoke-cured  roll  or  ball)  by  the  orifice 
which  is  left  in  its  shape  on  its  being  made,  at  the  same  time  that 
a  third  workman  cuts  it  down  the  middle  with  a  sharp  instru- 
ment called  a  "traqado."  By  this  means  it  is  easy  to  ascertain 
if  the   manufacture  of  the  internal  coatings  or  layers  has  been 

36 


done  with  the  necessary  care,  and  if  the  weight  has  been  affected 
by  water,  or  by  any  other  extraneous  body. 

If  the  rubber  presents  itself  with  an  uniform  aspect,  per- 
fectly smoked  and  sufficiently  elastic,  it  is  classed  "fina."  If, 
however,  any  points  present  spongy  parts  proceeding  from 
coagulation  of  the  latex  anterior  to  the  smoking  process,  it  is 
styled  "entre-fina."  To  the  agglomeration  of  residue  which  con- 
geals freely,  the  name  of  "sernamby"  is  given. 

There  is  still  the  "borracha  fraca"  little  elastic,  whose 
mercantile  value  is  put  in  the  same  category  as  "sernamby"  and 
which  does  not  come  from  the  latex  of  the  hevea. 

This  work  being  finished,  the  rubber  is  bought  in  accordance 
with  the  quotations  of  the  day,  based  upon  prices  coming  from 
England  and  from  the  United  States,  but  -as  has  already  been 
explained,  this  quotation  is  not  always  respected. 

There  is  another  anomaly  to  which  it  is  advisable  to  refer: 
whilst  the  "entre-fina"  and  the  sernamby  are  quoted  abroad  at 
least  at  200  reis  and  1$800  reis  less  than  the  "fina"  the  markets 
of  Belem  and  Manaos  show  a  difference  of  800  reis  and  2$000. 

There  are  other  abuses  which  also  take  place  in  the  classify- 
ing of  the  rubber,  which  gives  as  a  result  that  the  buyers  prefer 
to  do  business  upon  inferior  qualities,  because  these  offer  a 
larger  margin  for  profits. 

The  rubber  is  exported  in  American  pineboxes  which  can 
hold  nearly  150  Kilos.  The  dearness  of  manual  labor  in  the 
Amazon  territory  makes  it  difficult  to  take  advantage  of  the 
innumerable  species  of  timber-woods  in  which  the  valley  of  the 
great  river  is  so  abundantly  rich. 

In  the  remaining  markets  of  the  country  where  the  rubber  is 
negotiated,  the  price  is  regulated  by  the  quotations  in  Para. 
These  local  markets  are  of  little  importance  and  in  nothing  do 
they  distinguish  themselves  as  to  the  relative  transactions  in 
rubber,  from  the  general  mass  of  business.  The  class  of  aviadores 
or  merchant-trader  does  not  exist.  Each  producer  sends  his 
stock  to  his  agent  or  representative  or  sells  it  to  the  first  buyer. 
The  rubber  is  collected  from  either  manigoba  or  mangabeira. 

In  the  commerce  of  those  products,  the  markets  of  Bahia  and 
Fortaleza  stand  out  the  most  prominently,  to  which  places  a  cer- 
tain appreciable  portion  of  cultivated  plantation  rubber  converges 
every  year  besides  a  great  quantity  of  native  rubber. 


37 


ECONOMIC  AND  FINANCIAL  IMPORTANCE— 
FEDERAL  AND  STATE  REVENUE- 
EXPORTATION  TAX 

The  most  superficial  examination  of  the  actual  economic  po- 
sition of  Brazil  demonstrates  at  once  and  in  an  incisive  manner 
how  important  the  rubber  industry  is  to  the  national  life  of  the 
country. 

Possessor  of  the  innumerable  riches  distributed  by  the  three 
Kingdoms  of  Nature,  it  is  almost  exclusively  due  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  coffee  and  to  the  extraction  of  rubber  that  Brazil  owes 
its  extraordinary  commercial  development  in  these  last  twenty 
years. 

The  great  fortunes  which  the  plantations  of  the  famous  red- 
bean  of  the  coffee-tree  created  in  the  South  and  the  considerable 
profits  which  the  exploitation  of  the  precious  gum  have  pro- 
duced in  the  North,  were  certainly  the  causes  which  most  influ- 
enced the  development  of  the  production  to  such  an  extraor- 
dinary degree,  relegating  to  a  much  lower  schedule  in  the  gen- 
eral tabular  statement  of  Brazilian  exportation,  all  the  products, 
whose  commerce  although  certainly  remunerative,  does  not  show 
such  certain  and  speedy  results. 

The  general  exportation  of  Brazilian  merchandise  was  £63,- 
724,440  in  1909,  £63,091,547  in  1910  and  £66,838,982  in  1911.  To 
these  totals,  coffee  and  rubber  contributed  during  each  of  the 
same  three  years  £52,401,276,  £51,342,278  and  £55,458,221  re- 
spectively— totals  these,  sufficient  by  themselves,  to  guarantee 
with  advantage  the  Brazilian  international  commercial  equilib- 
rium, when  it  is  seen  that  in  those  said  same  years,  the  general 
importation  of  merchandise  amounted  to  £37,139,354,  £47,871,974 
and  £52,798,016. 

Rubber  contributed  to  the  general  total  of  exportation  with 
29.70  per  cent  in  1909,  39.06  per  cent  in  1910  and  22.53  per  cent 
in  1911,  or  in  other  words  an  average  of  30.43  per  cent  per  an- 
num. It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  the  great  difference  which  took 
place  in  the  above-mentioned  percentages  is  explained  in 
the  fluctutions  in  the  prices  of  rubber,  since  the  production  not 
only  did  not  decrease,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  increased  from 
year  to  year.  Therefore  it  is  seen  that  nearly  one-third  of  Bra- 
zil's export  trade  is  supplied  by  rubber,  and  it  is  nearly  twenty 
millions  of  pounds  sterling  that  Brazil  receives  every  year,  and 
which  goes  far  to  provide  for  the  sustentation,  not  only  of  the 
population  of  the  Brazilian  Northwest,  comprised  in  the  great 

38 


States  of  Para,  Amazons  and  Matto-Grosso  and  the  Federal  Ter- 
ritory of  the  Acre,  but  for  the  prosperity  of  the  North- 
east States,  which  get  the  benefit  of  a  good  part  of  that  sum 
through  the  intermedium  of  their  sons,  who  live  by  the  exploi- 
tation of  the  rubber ;  the  Southern  States  benefit  in  their  turn  by 
the  abundance  of  money  in  the  North,  that  most  secure  guarantee 
of  their  prosperity,  since  that  being  producers  of  cereals,  xarque, 
coffee,  sugar,  textile  goods,  hats  and  shoes,  for  a  long  time  al- 
ready they  have  constituted  themselves  the  principal  furnishers 
of  food-stuffs  and  wearing  apparel  to  that  region.  Finally  there 
is  still  to  be  considered  the  benefit  to  be  brought  indirectly  to 
the  whole  country  because  that  sum  goes  to  increase  the  com- 
merce of  importation,  thus  powerfully  augmenting  the  Federal 
Customs  Revenue. 

The  sum  obtained  by  the  States  of  the  Amazons  and  Para  and 
by  the  Federal  Territory  of  the  Acre,  is  also  considerable  every 
year  by  the  tribute  paid  on  the  rubber  going  out. 

This  last  Territory  of  the.  Acre,  since  its  incorporation  with 
Brazil  by  the  Treaty  of  Petropolis  concluded  with  Bolivia  in 
1903,  cost  the  Union  (including  the  expenses  incident  to  the  ac- 
quisition of  the  Territory  and  other  resulting  compromises  of  the 
said  treaty,  such  as  the  arbitral  Tribunal,  loans  to  Bolivia,  mark- 
ing out  of  the  frontier,  construction  of  the  Madeira-Marmore 
Railroad  and  expenses  for  the  mobilization  of  troops,  etc.), 
up  till  1909  the  sum  of  Rs.  62,595  :562$038 ;  the  revenue  brought 
in  during  the  same  period  attained  the  sum  of  Rs.  58,052  :- 
757$012,  in  1910  moreover  the  tax  upon  the  rubber  produced 
was  Rs.  19,867 :529$159  and  in  1911  Rs.  9,671 :711$068,  or  in 
other  words  Rs.  29,539  :240$227  more,  which  should  be  carried 
to  the  credit  of  that  very  rich  region.  The  rubber  of  the  Acre 
is  exported  through  the  intermedium  of  the  markets  of  Belem 
and  Manaos,  the  impost-tax  of  20  per  cent  ad  valorem  being 
collected  on  the  occasion  of  its  shipment. 

The  States  of  Amazonas  and  Para  cannot  dispense  quickly 
without  very  serious  economic  disturbance  with  the  revenue 
receivable  from  the  tribute  paid  on  the  exportation  of  rubber.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  State  of  Amazonas  collected  the  sum  of  Rs. 
16,845  :585$063  in  1909,  Rs.  18,069  :162$372  in  1910  and  Rs.  12,- 
901 :477$379  in  1911 ;  the  impost-tax  upon  rubber  brought  in  those 
same  years  respectively  Rs.  13,316  :487$569,  Rs.  14,836 :235$238 
and  Rs.  9,999  :031$526,  which  can  also  be  reckoned  by  79.04  per 
cent,  82.11  per  cent  and  77.50  per  cent. 

The  State  of  Amazonas  taxes  rubber  produced  in  the  State 
itself,  in  18  per  cent  ad  valorem,  and  that  coming  from  the  Jav- 
ary,  the  boundary  river  with  Peru,'  in  7  per  cent. 

39 


In  its  turn  Para  has  had  in  the  form  of  revenue  collected  in 
those  years,  the  amounts  of  Rs.  19,039 :709$531,  Rs.  20,255:- 
070$604  and  Rs.  14,480  :716$176,  the  import-tax  on  rubber  ren- 
dering Rs.  14,602 :759$269,  Rs.  14,701 :894$955  and  Rr.  9,518:- 
716$267,  or  76.69  per  cent,  72.58  per  cent  and  65.73  per  cent. 

The  taxes  charged  by  Para  are  22  per  cent  ad  valorem  for 
Rubber  "fina,"  "entre-fina"  and  "sernamby,"  and  15  per  cent  for 
whatever  other  kind.  Besides  those  there  is  an  additional  tax 
of  2.5  per  cent  in  benefit  of  the  Santa  Casa  de  Misericordia 
charged  on  the  exportation  taxes. 

These  figures  seem  to  show  the  importance  for  those 
States  of  questions  concering  the  production  and  consump- 
tion of  the  world's  rubber,  and  with  greater  reason  still  for  Brazil 
as  a  whole.  The  ruin  of  one  of  the  most  promising  regions  on 
the  face  of  the  globe,  the  profound  depreciation  of  .Brazilian 
finances  and  the  dreaded  commercial  crisis  with  which  the  coun- 
try would  have  to  fight,  would  be  the  disastrous  effect  of  the 
indifference  of  the  Federal  and  States  Governments  on  such  a 
matter.  But  that,  however,  is  not  the  attitude  of  those  Govern- 
ments ;  they  are  decreeing  various  measures  now  in  course  of  be- 
ing carried  out  and  which  after  minute  studies  were  judged  nec- 
essary, so  that  Brazil  might  continue  to  maintain  her  proud  po- 
sition of  importance  for  the  precious  "black  gold"  (rubber)  in 
the  world's  market.   . 


RUBBER-CONSUMING  MARKETS  —  COMPETITION 
OF  OTHER  RUBBER-PRODUCING  COUNTRIES 

New  York,  Liverpool,  London,  Hamburg,  Antwerp  and 
Havre  are  at  the  present  time,  by  their  order  of  importance,  the 
principal  world's  markets  for  rubber. 

New  York,  by  virtue  of  the  extraordinary  development  of 
North  American  industries,  which  in  a  steadily  increasing  scale, 
are  co'nsuming  constantly  greater  quantities  of  raw  material,  re- 
ceives almost  half  of  the  rubber  produced  in  all  the  world. 
Nearly  60  per  cent  of  the  rubber  negotiated  in  New  York  is 
Brazilian.  After  this  follow  Central  America  and  Mexico;  but 
as  rubber  proceeding  from  all  parts  appears  in  the  New  York 
market  it  is  evident  that  there  is  no  specialty  in  this  business. 

Liverpool,  perhaps  due  to  the  fact  of  its  being  the  port  to 
which  the  lines  of  navigation  that  run  to  and  from  the  Amazon 
are  directed,  has  become  the  European  emporium  for  Brazilian 
rubber.     In  fact,  40  per  cent  of  the  Brazilian  production  is  di- 

40 


rected  towards  that  city.  Liverpool  also  receives  rubber  of  va- 
rious qualities  proceeding  from  the  English  and  other  European 
possessions  in  equatorial  Africa. 

The  increasing  production  of  the  Oriental  plantations  finds  in 
London  one  of  its  principal  markets  for  the  precious  gum.  Al- 
though rubber  proceeding  from  different  parts  appears  in  the 
market,  it  may  be  affirmed  without  hesitation,  that  London  is 
the  special  centre  for  cultivated  refined  rubber  (plantation) 
which  is  easily  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  owners  of  the  ex- 
tensive plantations  in  the  Malay  States  are  nearly  all  of  them 
London  companies. 

Occidental  and  Oriental  Africa,  principally  German  Colonies, 
send  to  Hamburg  the  greater  part  of  the  rubber  which  is  nego- 
tiated on  that  market.  Brazil  enters  with  about  20  per  cent  of 
the  total  amount  of  the  business. 

Antwerp  owes  its  rubber  trade  to  the  creation  of  the  Congo 
Free  State,  whose  production,  now  in  decline,  is  practically  all 
directed  to  this  city.  It  also  receives  rubber  from  Brazil,  and 
seeing  that  Belgian  capital  is  employed  in  the  Oriental  planta- 
tions its  future  is  promising. 

Havre,  on  the  other  hand,  is  of  greater  importance  to  Brazil ; 
where  75  per  cent  of  the  transactions  are  in  Brazilian  rub- 
ber. It  also  imports  the  Congo  species,  as  also  those  of  some 
of  the  French  Colonies  in  Africa.  However,  the  great  bulk  of 
the  production  of  these  latter  colonies  is  directed  to  Bordeaux. 


The  methods  of  sale  adopted  in  these  markets,  vary  very 
much.  From  the  slow  old-fashioned  process  of  sale  by  private 
treaty,  to  sales  on  time  terms,  passing  through  auctions  and  un- 
derwritings,  in  short  all  the  commonly  known  modes  of  negotiat- 
ing are  in  use. 

The  most  important  market,  that  of  New  York,  adheres  to 
the  old-fashioned  method  of  personal  contracts  for  immediate  de- 
livery, which  certainly  serves  better  the  interests  of  buyers,  than 
those  of  sellers;  the  agitation  that  was  created  round  this  ques- 
tion with  a  view  to  reform  the  market,  gave  no  result  whatso- 
ever. 

Liverpool  presents  us  the  polymorphic  type.  Private  sales, 
and  sales  on  a  fixed  day  for  delivery,  or  sales  by  auctions,  all  take 
place,  consulting  thereby  the  preferences  of  both  sellers  and 
buyers,  and  establishing  the  free  course  of  the  values.  The  same 
happens  in  London,  where,  however,  the  Plantation  companies 
have  initiated  more  advanced  transactions,  such  as  sales  of  crops 
in  anticipation. 

Hamburg  and  Antwerp  also  practice  sales  by  auction  and  on 

41 


delivery.  However,  in  this  latter  the  method  of  underwriting  is 
that  most  in  vogue  and  which  among  all  the  processes  is  the  one 
that  consults  most  the  interest  of  the  seller.  This  is  carried  out 
in  the  following  manner :  A  broker  advertises  a  certain  quantity 
of  rubber  for  sale,  the  particulars  of  which  he  supplies  (name  of 
seller,  weight,  quality,  estimated  price,  etc.),  about  twenty  days 
beforehand.  On  the  day  appointed,  he  receives  the  offers  of  pur- 
chase closed  and  sealed ;  these  are  then  opened  in  a  public  place 
and  the  prices  are  inscribed  on  a  schedule  divided  into  columns, 
each  one  headed  with  the  name  of  the  house  offering.  Once  this 
operation  has  finished,  the  rubber  falls  to  the  highest  bidder.  The 
seller  has,  however,  the  right  to  withdraw  the  goods  in  case  the 
price  that  results  does  not  satisfy  him. 

The  Antwerp  market  adopted  this  system  with  the  view  to 
competing  against  cognate  markets.  As  the  reducing  of  the  ex- 
penses on  the  product,  which  corresponded  to  fcs.  2.60  per  100 
Kilos,  the  same  being  frs.  4.93  and  frs.  7.30  in  Hamburg  and  Liv- 
erpool respectively,  did  not  suffice,  it  endeavored  to  attract  the 
seller  by  offering  the  most  advantageous  prices,  and  it  seems  that 
it  has  succeeded  in  its  desideratum. 

Havre  followed  its  example  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that 
all  the  rubber  markets  adopt  the  same  system,  not  only  for  the 
reasons  set  forth,  but  also  because  it  is  a  safe  precaution  against 
the  manipulations  of  speculators. 

Brazil  has  always  maintained  its  predominating  position  in 
the  world's  market  for  rubber,  not  only  as  the  greatest  producer, 
but  also  as  the  producer  of  the  best  quality. 

In  1827,  the  first  year  about  which  statistical  data  exist, 
Brazil  exported  31  tons  of  rubber;  in  1837,  289  tons,  or  say  an 
increase  of  932  per  cent;  in  1847,  624  tons,  or  216  per  cent  more; 
in  1857,  1,800  tons,  which  corresponds  to  an  increase  of  290  per 
cent;  in  1867,  5,826  tons,  or  322  per  cent  more;  1877,  9,215  tons, 
thus  augmenting  by  158  per  cent;  in  1887,  13,290  tons,  or  144 
per  cent  increase;  in  1897,  21,256  tons,  representing  about  160 
per  cent  more ;  and,  finally,  in  1907,  36,490  tons,  or  approximately 
an  increase  of  172  per  cent. 

Within  the  last  decade,  that  is  to  say,  from  1902  to  1911  (vide 
statistical  statements  in  fine),  the  exportation  rose  gradually  to 
28,631  tons  in  1902  and  to  39,026  tons  in  1909,  the  maximum  ever 
reached  so  far,  to  descend  immediately  to  38,546  tons  in  1910  and 
36,547  tons  in  1911. 

Brazil  has  so  far  not  had  any  serious  competition  to  fear.  It 
is  true  that  the  other  producing  countries  in  Central  America, 
South  Africa  and  Asia,  send  a  considerable  quantity  of  rubber 
on  to  the  market,  but  this  does  not  affect  the  Brazilian  trade,  be- 
cause, besides  being  practically  all  of  it  of  an  inferior  quality, 

42 


such  extra  supply  is  not  sufficient  to  occasion  the  harmful  effects 
of  an  overproduction.  It  is  curious  to  observe,  that  even  within 
the  last  decade,  the  production  of  those  regions  which  in  1901 
was  21,547  tons  increased  even  so  far  as  to  surpass  the  produc- 
tion of  Brazil  in  the  year  of  1905,  reaching  then  35,428  tons;  but 
it  diminished  as  rapidly  as  it  had  increased  and  in  1911  we  see  it 
reduced  to  23,747  tons.  This  decrease  cannot  be  attributed  to 
the  effects  of  competition,  for  instance  to  the  plantations  of  the 
Orient,  whose  production  commenced  to  accentuate  itself  exactly 
in  the  year  of  1905  and  henceforward.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  com- 
petition should  bring  forth  a  fall  in  prices,  but  however,  on  the 
contrary,  such  did  not  happen,  the  quotations  reaching  in  the 
years  of  1909  and  1910  such  extremes  as  had  never  been  seen  in 
the  rubber  market..  It  will  be  sufficient  to  point  out,  that  the 
refined  rubber  of  Para,  which  is  the  Standard  regulating  type  of 
the  market  and  whose  average  annual  price  has  been  3,  4  and 
even  5  shillings,  went  up  in  those  years  to  12s/6  per  pound. 

However,  a  new  competitor  did  appear,  which  had  to  be  taken 
into  consideration,  and  which  induced  the  Government  of 
Brazil  to  adopt  some  measures  tending  to  protect  its  great  article 
of  export.  The  considerable  and  methodical  plantations  of  the 
hevea  brasiliensis  made  in  the  peninsula  of  Malacca  in  Malasia 
and  on  the  island  of  Ceylon,  commenced  to  produce  rubber, 
which  it  was  predicted  would  within  a  few  years,  due  to  the 
enormous  quantity  produced  at  a  low  figure,  get  the  mastery  of 
the  market. 

These  plantations,  the  initial  experiments  of  which  date  from 
the  year  of  1876,  with  70,000  seeds  sent  from  the  Tapajoz 
river,  an  affluent  of  the  Amazon,  by  Wickham  to  the  Royal  Bo- 
tanical Garden  of  Kew,  have  taken  an  enormous  increment 
since  the  year  1896,  till  to-day,  due  to  the  results  obtained 
which  indicated  beyond  possible  doubt  the  advantages  of  the 
cultivation  of  hevea,  this  in  view  of  the  constantly  increasing 
price  of  the  product  and  the  new  applications  which  day  after 
day  the  rubber  industry  has  opened  up. 

The  cultivated-plantation  rubber,  which  appeared  on  the  mar- 
ket with  5  tons  in  1901,  was  represented  by  646  tons  five  years 
later  and  at  the  end  of  another  equal  period,  by  12,000  tons. 
It  is  estimated  that  if  nothing  unforeseen  happens  to  the  con- 
trary, its  production  in  1916  will  be  70,000  tons,  thus  reaching 
the  quantity  which  is  at  the  present  moment  consumed  each 
year  by  the  necessities  of  the  industry. 

It  is  believed  that  by  that  time  the  inferior  qualities  furnished 
by  Africa,  Central  America  and  even  by  Brazil,  will  gradually 
have  disappeared  from  the  market.  In  order  to  meet  the  con- 
sumption which,  if  progression  that  hitherto  has  taken   place, 

43 


continues,  will  then  be  of  98,603  tons,  the  production  of  Brazil 
and  of  the  Orient  together  will  surely  render  a  quantity  much  su- 
perior to  that  demand. 

The  average  cost  per  Kilo  of  fine  Para  rubber  in  the  valley 
of  the  Amazon  is  from  3$000  to  3$500 ;  in  India  of  2$650 ;  how- 
ever, this  difference  should  disappear  under  the  operation 
of  the  Rubber  Defence  Act,  which  is  inserted  further  on, 
and  the  possible  augmentation  of  the  price  in  the  Orient, 
where  manual  labor  will  become  dearer  later  on  when  all  its 
plantations  are  in  full  exploitation,  and  by  the  consequent  scarc- 
ity of  labor,  against  which  agriculturists  are  already  commencing 
to  struggle. 

The  industrial  element  still  continues  to  give  preference  to 
the  Brazilian  rubber,  this  being  better  in  quality,  nerve  and  in 
elasticity — properties  these  which  may  probably  be  attributed  to 
the  process  of  curing,  which  is  not  employed  in  the  Orient,  or 
possibly  to  the  meteorologic  and  climate  conditions,  the  geolog- 
ical composition  of  the  soil,  etc.  It  is  true  that  the  quotation  for 
planted  rubber  has  been  superior  to  that  of  wild  rubber,  but  it  is 
advisable  not  to  forget,  that  while  the  former  shrinks  only  3  per 
cent,  and  has  a  much  better  appearance,  the  latter  loses  18  per 
cent  of  its  weight.  The  price  difference  is  thus  amply  explained 
and  when  accounts  are  made  up  it  is  still  the  fine  quality  from 
Para  that  is  the  better  quoted. 


THE  INDIA  RUBBER  PROBLEM— MEANS 
SUGGESTED  AND  RESOLVED  BY  THE  STATES 

Threatened  with  losing  the  predominant  position  it  has  al- 
ways occupied  in  the  rubber  market  of  the  world,  Brazil  could 
not,  without  committing  an  economical  suicide,  remain  inactive. 

The  time  having  come  when  native  rubber  would  enter  into 
competition  with  planted  rubber,  Brazil  had  to  defend  its  inter- 
ests by  becoming  equipped  for  the  struggle,  making  the  cost  of  its 
product  cheaper  in  order  to  ensure  its  occupying  an  advan- 
tageous position  in  the  market. 

Many  are  the  causes  which  at  present  contribute  to  the  high 
cost  of  Brazilian  rubber,  but  they  may  be  united  into  three 
groups,  as  follows:  1st,  expensive  labour;  2nd,  heavy  transport 
tariffs ;  and  3rd,  excessive  export  taxes. 

The  expensive  labour  is  due  to  the  scantiness  of  population 
in  the  Amazon  valley,  the  want  of  foreign  immigration  to  com- 
pensate it,  and  the  high  cost  of  food  supplies. 

The  rubber-producing  trees  (seringaes)  of  the  Amazon  are  ex- 

44 


ploited  by  the  natives,  whose  number  is  but  small,  and  by  the 
immigrants  from  the  eastern  States  who,  fleeing  from  the 
droughts  which  periodically  befall  those  States  and  attracted  by 
the  liberal  profits  offered  by  the  extraction  of  rjubber,  go  there 
in  thousands  every  year.  This  current  of  immigration  is,  how- 
ever, insufficient;  a  proper  remedy  for  such  a  state  of  things 
would  perhaps  be  foreign  labour  which  still  keeps  back  from  the 
North  because  it  only  knows  it  through  garbled  information. 
The  bad  food  and  the  indifference  for  all  that  concerns  health 
conditions,  contribute  every  year  to  the  invaliding  of  a  con- 
siderable number  of  men. 

The  extraction  of  India  rubber  being  the  occupation  which 
pays  best  in  the  Amazon  Valley,  the  pastoral  industry,  cattle- 
breeding  and  farming  are  altogether  despised,  so  that  all  the  arti- 
cles of  subsistence  needed  by  the  population,  either  come  from  the 
South  of  Brazil,  burdened  by  cost  of  a  long  transport,  or  from 
abroad  overloaded  with  high  Brazilian  Customs  duties. 

The  heavy  transport  tariffs  are  due  to  the  numerous  difficulties 
of  all  sorts  that  thwart  navigation  in  the  affluents  and  sub-afflu- 
ents of  the  Amazon  river  and  to  the  greediness  of  ship-owners, 
encouraged  by  the  absence  of  competition.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  existence  of  a  complete  river  system  has  made  the  Brazilian 
Governments  disregard  the  necessity  of  establishing  railways 
which,  by  shortening  distances,  might  bind  the  different  affluents 
of  the  great  river  to  each  other. 

Finally,  the  excessive  taxation  imposed  by  the  States  of  Ama- 
zonas  and  Para  on  its  almost  only  product  of  exportation  is  a 
consequence  of  the  special  conditions  of  life  in  that  Brazilian  re- 
gion, which  conditions  we  have  just  described.  The  Governmen- 
tal and  administrative  system  requires  large  sums  for  its  main- 
tenance, is  unable  to  avail  itself  of  any  other  sources  of  income 
because  they  hardly  exist.  The  legislator  has  had  to  go  on  tax- 
ing the  great  product  more  and  more. 

In  order  to  cheapen  the  product,  besides  removing  the  causes 
which  have  just  been  shown,  two  other  far-reaching  measures 
have  been  suggested;  the  adoption  of  a  process  for  coagulation 
of  the  latex  which  might  decrease  the  production  of  inferior  rub- 
bers, and  planting  on  a  big  scale. 

At  the  present  moment  the  exportation  of  rubber  from  the 
Amazon  is  composed  of  50  per  cent  of  rubber  "fina,"  10  per  cent 
of  "entre-fine,"  25  per  cent  of  "sernamby,"  and  15  per  cent  of 
"caucho."  Now,  any  process  that  can  do  away  with  or  might 
at  least  diminish  the  percentage  of  entrefina  and  sernamby  would 
be  a  means  of  cheapening  the  rubber  of  finer  quality  (fina).  To 
apply  the  same  activity  to  produce  70  or  75  Kilos  of  "fina"  in- 
stead of  50  fina,  10  entrefina  and  15  sernamby,  is  the  same  in 

45 


reality  as  obtaining  the  first  quality  at  a  very  much  lower  price. 
Such  is  the  desideratum  of  the  process  of  Dr.  Carlos  de  Cer- 
queira  Pinto,  a  Brazilian  doctor  who  has  lived  for  a  great  num- 
ber of  years  among  the  rubber  districts  where  he  has  made 
a  most  accurate  study  of  the  subject.  The  results  hitherto  at- 
tained are  very  satisfactory,  the  Government  of  Brazil  having 
aided  the  inventor  with  a  view  to  spreading  his  invention  once 
its  advantages  have  been  definitely  proven. 

At  the  same  time,  the  process  of  extracting  the  rubber  from 
trees  disseminated  in  the  interior  of  the  forests  at  a  considerable 
distance  one  tree  from  the  other,  is  against  all  principles  of  econ- 
omy. The  planting  on  a  large  scale,  on  the  margin  of  the 
Amazon  river,  or  of  its  big  affluents,  but  in  places  of  easy 
access,  is  an  essential  measure,  especially  seeing  that  the 
Government  aims  at  maintaining  for  Brazil  in  future,  the  promi- 
nent position  it  now  occupies  in  the  trade.  Therefore,  whilst 
considering  all  the  complex  elements  of  the  question  thoroughly, 
a  study  had  to  be  made  of  all  the  solutions  presented.  We  shall 
now  see  what  procedure  was  followed: 

In  August,  1909,  a  Congress  of  seringueiros  (rubber  gath- 
erers), assembled  in  Acre  with  a  view  to  studying  and  discuss- 
ing the  situation  of  the  rubber  trade.  In  a  message  addressed 
to  the  President  of  the  Republic  at  the  closing  of  the  proceedings, 
the  members  of  the  Congress  suggested,  as  chief  measures,  easy 
communications,  roads,  railway  lines,  subventioned  lines  of 
steamers,  colonization  promoted  by  the  Government  and  a  re- 
duction in  the  export  duty. 

Later  on,  in  the  same  year,  the  Para  Government  enacted 
Laws  Nos.  1,100  and  1,109  of  the  5th  and  6th  of  November,  both 
of  which  have  great  bearing  on  the  solution  of  this  most  im- 
portant problem. 

The  first  of  said  laws  gives  authority,  in  article  1st,  to  the 
State  Government,  to  enter  into  agreements  with  one  or  more 
native  or  foreign  companies,  in  regard  to  the  plantation  and  ex- 
ploitation of  the  seringueira  (hevea  brasiliensis)  against  the 
concession  of  the  following  favors : 

a.  The  concession  of  vacant  lands  up  to  twenty  thousand 
hectares  with  proper  demarkations  for  the  Company's  plantings. 

b.  Reduction  in  the  export  duty  of  planted  rubber  to  the  ex- 
tent of  50  per  cent  in  the  first  10  years  as  from  the  date  of  the 
first  exportation ;  of  40  per  cent  in  the  second  decade ;  of  30  per 
cent  thenceforward  until  completion  of  twenty  years. 

c.  Reduction  of  30  per  cent  in  the  tariffs  of  the  Braganga 
railway  and  in  the  freights  of  the  line  of  steamers  subventioned 
by  the  State,  during  a  term  of  twenty  years,  for  planted  rubber 
produced  by  the  Company. 

46 


d.  Transport  free  of  charge  by  the  Braganca  railway  and 
steamers  under  the  States'  subsidy  of  all  machinery  and  plant 
belonging  to  the  Company  and  intended  for  the  installation  of 
its  establishments;  and  of  whatever  colonists  the  Company  may 
place  in  its  premises  as  well  as  of  seeds,  manure  plants  and 
cattle. 

e.  An  advance,  by  way  of  guaranteed  interest,  of  5  per  cent 
per  annum  on  the  capital  issued  by  the  company  holding  the 
concession  to  the  extent  of  one-half  of  the  paid  up  capital. 

Special  paragraph. — This  guarantee,  whatsoever  be  the  Com- 
pany's capital,  shall  not  be  paid  on  a  sum  exceeding  £400,000 
Sterling  over  and  above  £800,000  Sterling,  or  its  equivalent  in 
paper  money. 

The  advances,  by  way  of  guaranteed  interest,  thus  conceded, 
will  be  discontinued  once  the  Company's  profits  attain  6  per 
cent,  and  on  exceeding  7  per  cent  the  Company  will  start  amor- 
tizing the  sums  loaned  by  the  State  to  the  extent  of  5  per  cent, 
on  the  total  sum  advanced. 

The  concession  of  lands  available  will  be  made  by  way  of 
emphyteusis  for  99  years. 

The  Statutes  will  have  to  be  approved  by  the  Government, 
who  will  name  one  of  the  Company's  Directors  and  retain  cer- 
tain rights  with  a  view  to  the  due  enforcement  of  the  contract. 

Article  Second  of  the  Law  describes  the  Company's  obliga- 
tions, which  are  as  follows: 

First.  To  plant  at  least  twenty  thousand  rubber  trees  per 
year. 

Second.  To  carry  out  instructions  from  the  Agriculture  De- 
partment of  the  State  in  the  planting. 

Third.  To  maintain  a  rural  elementary  school,  with  accom- 
modation for  the  shelter  of  at  least  twenty  destitute  children, 
and  a  field  of  practical  tuition  of  mechanical  agriculture,  experi- 
mental cultivation  of  tropical  plants,  experiments  in  manure,  etc. 

Fourth.  Accessory  planting  of  rice,  maize,  haricot  beans, 
etc.,  improving  the  quality  of  same  by  mechanical  means. 

Fifth.  Furnish  accurate  yearly  statistics  of  the  number  of 
plantations  made,  their  state  and  the  general  production  of  rub- 
ber and  other  articles. 

Sixth.  Use  on  the  bags,  boxes  and  other  receptacles  con- 
taining the  goods  produced,  a  trade-mark  duly  registered  at  the 
Board  of  Trade  as  prescribed  by  law. 

Seventh.  Allow  the  Government  to  control  all  the  work 
carried  out  by  the  Company  in  such  manner  as  the  Government 
may  think  fit. 

Complimentary  to  the  former,  the  Law  of  November  6th 
concedes  prizes  and  other  favors  to  the  agriculturists    of    the 

47 


State,  who,  by  themselves  or  associations  formed  by  them,  should 
fulfil  the  conditions  set  forth  in  same. 

The  prizes  are  of  five  hundred  mil  reis  for  each  plot  of  five 
hundred  rubber  trees  properly  planted ;  the  favors  consist  of 
the  distribution  free  of  charge  of  chemical  manure,  seeds,  plants, 
instructions  and  agricultural  monographs,  gratuitous  tuition  to 
all  the  laborer-planters,  transport  free  by  the  Braganga  Railway 
and  steamers  subsidized  by  the  State,  reduction  of  export  duties, 
etc. 

Lastly,  Law  No.  1,115,  of  the  8th  November,  1909,  affords 
protection  to  the  rubber  trees  that  are  actually  yielding,  with  a 
view  to  improving  their  production. 

Article  First  authorizes  the  Government  of  the  State  to  fur- 
ther the  defence  of  the  rubber  industry  as  regards  the  latex  and 
preparation  of  rubber,  in  order  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the 
trees  existing  in  the  State,  punishment  being  dealt  to  whomso- 
ever manufactures  the  product  by  subversive  means. 

Article  second  provides  a  prize  of  50  contos  of  reis  paper 
money  at  most,  to  be  awarded  at  the  Government's  discretion, 
to  the  discoverer  or  inventor  of  some  process  of  manufacturing 
or  preparing  rubber,  which  may  afford  undeniable  advantages  as 
regards  its  manufacture  and  reduces  the  inferior  classes  to  a 
single  standard  of  rubber  "fina,"  ensuring  a  high  price  for  the 
article. 

The  State  of  Amazonas  also,  as  per  Law  No.  675  of  May  20, 
1911,  authorizes  the  Executive  Power  to  concede  any  advisable 
favors  to  individuals  or  undertakings  that  may  bind  themselves 
to  put  up  in  Manaos  factories  for  refinement  of  rubber  by  means 
of  new  and  improved  methods,  so  as  to  obtain  a  standard  class 
of  rubber  for  exportation. 

The  Commercial,  Industrial  and  Agricultural  Congress  held 
at  Manaos  in  February,  1910,  resolved  in  its  final  conclusions 
to  recommend  to  the  Brazilian  Government  and  the  immediate 
neighboring  Republics,  the  reforming  of  their  freights,  especially 
as  regards  the  food  supplies ;  grant  favors  to  navigation ;  free 
rivers  from  obstructions ;  construct  railways ;  create  colonial 
centres;  admit  of  the  pressing  and  absolute  necessity  to  plant 
rubber  trees  in  the  Amazon  valley  and  open  new  fields  of  planta- 
tion; suggests  the  establishment  of  permanent  exhibitions  of  a 
highly  educational  character;  advises  the  rubber  extractors  not 
to  give  up  the  process  of  curing  by  smoke  and  condemns  entirely 
the  use  of  acids  or  alum  in  the  coagulation,  and  calls  attention  to 
the  question  of  the  commercial  classes  of  rubber  which  should 
be  properly  defined.  Going  into  details  it  requests  numerous 
favors  for  the  agriculturists  that  may  go  in  for  planting  hevea 
rubber  trees,  cacao  and  cereals,  cotton  and  other  products,  and 

48 


that  prizes  be  granted  to  cattle  breeders,  experimental  fields  be 
opened,  as  also  laboratories  of  analysis  and  a  service  be  estab- 
lished for  dealing  with  the  yellow  fever  and  paludinous  fevers,  etc. 

Such  an  important  matter  could  not  be  solved  by  half- 
measures  ;  it  was  necessary  and  even  indispensable  to  adopt  a 
plan  embracing  all  the  solutions  suggested  and  proclaimed  as 
being  elements  of  success,  thus  obtaining  a  united  plan  entailing 
some  complexity  in  its  execution,  it  is  true,  yet  clear  and  simple 
in  its  combined  purposes. 

And  this  desideratum  was  achieved  by  the  Feredal  Law  No. 
2,543  A  of  the  fifth  of  January,  1912. 


MEASURES  ADOPTED  ,BY   THE   FEDERAL   GOV- 

ERNMENT— RIO  DE  JANEIRO  CONGRESS  OF 

RUBBER— REGULATIONS  OF  THE  NEW 

RUBBER  DEFENSE  ACT 

For  a  long  time  back  the  attention  of  the  Brizilian  Govern- 
ment has  been  drawn  to  the  necessity  of  adopting  a  plan  of  de- 
fence for  India  rubber,  which  might  solve  in  a  practical  and 
decisive  manner  the  so-long-debated  "problem  of  the  North." 

In  August,  1911,  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  after  a  close 
study,  made  with  the  aid  of  specialists  and  persons  having 
full  knowledge  of  that  region  of  the  country,  drew  up  a  project 
in  the  above  sense  and,  recognizing  the  necessity  of  still  hearing 
those  who  are  most  directly  interested  in  the  matter,  convened  a 
meeting  of  representatives  of  the  State  Governments,  Com- 
mercial Associations  and  other  Institutions  which  might  lead  to 
a  perfect  understanding  of  what  was  most  advisable  to  do. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  on  August  14,  and  the  Govern- 
ment's plan  was  hailed  with  great  applause,  the  same  being 
approved,  with  slight  alterations,  in  the  last  session  which  took 
place  on  the  twenty-second  of  the  same  month. 

By  Message  of  September  14,  1911,  Marshal  Hermes  da 
Fonseca,  President  of  the  Republic,  sent  to  the  National  Con- 
gress for  approval,  the  plan  duly  elaborated ;  after  being  care- 
fully studied  by  Congress  it  was  approved  and  converted  into 
Law,  under  No.  2,543  A  and  was  sanctioned  on  January  5,  1912. 

On  April  17,  1912,  Decree  No.  9,521  was  enacted  with  the 
Regulation  for  carrying  out  the  measures  and  services  provided 
for  in  the  law  of  January. 

The  measures  and  services  prescribed  by  Law  No.  2,543  A 

49 


of  January,  19i2,  for  the  economic  defence  of  rubber,  regulated 
by  Decree  No.  9,521  of  April  17,  1912,  are  as  follows : 

I.  To  encourage  the  rubber  extractor  and  the  culivator  of 
the  principal  rubber-producing  trees. 

II.  To  form  industries  for  the  refinement  and  manufacture 
of  rubber  articles. 

III.  To  aid  immigrants,  both  from  the  country  and  those 
who  have  recently  arrived  from  abroad,  and  the  workmen 
already  established  in  the  Amazon  valley. 

IV.  To  render  transport  easy  and  decrease  the  cost  in  the 
Amazon  valley. 

V.  To  install  productive  centres  of  food  supplies  in  the 
Amazon  valley. 

VI.  To  hold  three-yearly  exhibitions  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  com- 
prehending all  that  relates  to  the  rubber  industry  of  the  country. 

The  measures  contained  in  the  law  in  regard  to  making  agree- 
ments with  the  States  which  produce  rubber  "seringa,"  with  a 
view  to  decreasing  the  export  duties  and  protecting  the  rubber 
trade,  will  be  dealt  with  separately,  and  with  regard  to  the  defi- 
nition and  legalization  of  freeholds  in  the  Federal  Territory  in 
Acre  and  the  revision  and  consolidation  of  regulations  concern- 
ing the  coasting  service  of  steamers  (included  in  No.  IV)  special 
By-Laws  will  be  drawn  up  which  shall  be  published  in  due 
course. 


The  measures  in  reference  to  the  first  group  and  whose  object 
is  to  encourage  the  extracting  industry  and  plantation  of  the 
principal  rubber  producing  trees  are:  First,  reduction  of  the 
cost  of  tools  and  materials  employed  in  the  rubber  trade ;  second, 
granting  of  prizes  in  money  to  the  planters  of  the  principal  rub- 
ber trees ;  third,  installation  of  experimental  stations  for  the  culti- 
vation of  rubber. 

For  the  reduction  in  the  cost  of  utensils  and  materials,  free 
entrance  is  granted  with  exemption  from  any  import  duties,  as 
well  as  to  everything  intended  for  the  cultivation  of  the 
seringueira,  caucho,  manigoba  and  mangabeira  and  the  gather- 
ing-in  and  improving  of  rubber  extracted  from  those  trees; 
whether  as  regards  the  extracting  industry  or  the  plantation 
work. 

These  pecuniary  premiums  for  encouraging  the  industry,  will 
be  conceded  to  all  those  who  plant  entirely  anew,  or  who  devote 
themselves  to  replanting;  in  the  first  case  and  for  every  group 
of  12  hectares,  the  premiums  will  be  Rs.2 :500$000  when  the 
planting  is  of  "seringueira" ;  Rs.  1 :500$000  when  it  treats  of 
"caucho"  or  "manigoba";  and  900$000  when  it  is  mangabeira;  in 

50 


the  second  case  and  for  every  group  of  25  hectares  the  premiums 
will  be  2:000$000,  1 :000$000  and  720$000  respectively.  The 
minimum  number  of  trees  for  the  new  plantations  will  be  250 
per  hectare  for  the  seringueira  and  caucho,  and  400  for  the  mani- 
goba  and  mangabeira ;  in  the  case  of  re-planting,  the  distance  to 
keep  between  the  trees  should  be  from  6  metres  to  6m50  for 
the  first  mentioned  case  and  5  metres  for  the  second.  In  order 
to  obtain  the  payment  of  the  premium,  it  is  requisite  that  the 
trees  be  well  cared  for,  and  that  not  more  than  15  per  cent,  are 
damaged  or  useless. 

The  subsidiary  cultivation  of  alimentitious  plants  or  of  those 
useful  for  industrial  purposes,  will  secure  an  annual  gratuity 
corresponding  to  5  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  the  principal 
premium. 

For  the  cultivation  of  the  seringueira,  experimental  stations 
will  be  localized  in  the  Territory  of  the  Acre,  and  in  the  States 
of  Matto  Grosso,  Amazonas,  Para,  Maranhao,  Piauhy  and  Bahia 
and  for  the  growing  of  the  manigoba  conjointly  with  that  of  the 
mangabeira  in  the  States  of  Piauhy,  Ceara  Pernambuco,  Bahia, 
Minas  Geraes,  S.  Paulo,  Goyaz,  Parana  and  Matto  Grosso. 

Each  station  will  have  an  area  of  from  80  to  100  hectares,  the 
land  selected  having  to  be  suited  to  the  climatic  and  agro- 
logical  conditions  exacted  by  the  nature  or  quality  of  the  plant  to 
be  cultivated. 

Besides  the  grounds  for  experimental  cultivation,  each 
station  will  possess  laboratories  of  vegetable  physiology  for  the 
testing  of  seeds  and  phytopathology,  of  agricultural  entomology ; 
of  agricultural  vegetable  chemistry  and  bromotology  and  of 
micropiology  and  technology ;  an  agricultural  and  woodlands 
museum ;  a  gallery  of  machines  and  a  meteorological  post. 
Thus  it  will  be  properly  equipped  in  order  to  serve  those 
who  may  consult  it  upon  any  matter  whatsoever,  within 
the  scope  of  its  competency,  carry  out  the  analysis  of  manures 
and  other  chemical  fertilizers,  plants  and  waters,  distribute 
plants  and  selected  seeds,  s  tudy  the  diseases  common  to 
growing  plants  and  the  means  of  combatting  them,  making  com- 
monly known  by  means  of  the  publication  of  an  official  bulletin 
which  will  be  distributed  gratuitously  to  all  interested  parties, 
the  results  obtained  relative  to  the  most  practical  and  economical 
means  of  carrying  out  the  cultivation  of  rubber,  the  best  means 
of  bettering  its  condition,  its  preservation,  the  packing  of  the 
products,  etc. 


In  order  to  stimulate  the  creation  in  Brazil  of  the  industries 
for  refining  and  manufacturing  all  kinds  of  articles  made  of 
rubber,  monetary  premiums  will  be  instituted  as  well  as  exemp- 

51 


tion  from  taxes,  the  right  of  disappropriation  for  private  in- 
dividuals, that  may  be  necessary  for  the  installation  and  mount- 
ing of  factories  and  the  preference  of  the  Government  will  be 
granted  for  such  articles,  which  each  factory  produces,  when 
supplies  are  made  to  the  army  and  to  the  navy,  as  well  as  to 
other  public  departments. 

The  premiums  will  be  as  high  as  400 :000$000  for  the  first 
tactory  tor  the  refining  ot  seringa  rubber  that  may  be  established 
in  each  of  the  cities  of  Belem  and  Manaos ;  up  to  100  :000$000  for 
the  first  rubber-refining  factory  of  "manigoba"  and  of  manga- 
beira,  which  may  be  installed  in  each  one  of  the  States  of  Piauhy, 
Ceara,  Rio  Grande  do  Norte,  Pernambuco,  Bahia,  Minas  Geraes 
and  Sao  Paulo ;  and  finally  of  500  :000$000  for  the  first  factory  of 
rubber-made  articles,  which  is  inaugurated  in  Manaos,  Belem, 
Recife,  Bahia  and  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

The  exemption  from  import  duties  embraces  the  rights  of 
importation  for  the  materials,  machinery,  utensils  and  the  neces- 
sary tools  for  the  construction  and  mounting  of  the  factory  and 
the  chemical  substances,  textile  articles  and  divers  materials, 
combustibles  and  lubricants  indispensable  for  the  up-keep  and 
working  of  the  factory  during  the  time-term  of  25  years;  and 
immunity  from  the  State  and  Municipal  taxes  for  the  time  term 
of  the  contract  by  reason  of  the  factory  being  considered  a 
Federal  Service. 

The  premium  in  cash  shall  only  be  considered  when  the 
capital  of  the  factory  is  equivalent  to  4  times  its  value.  The 
payment  of  such  premium  will  be  effected  immediately  after  the 
inauguration  of  the  factory. 

The  problem  of  assisting  immigrants  both  national  and 
foreign,  who  may  have  just  arrived  and  the  laborers  established 
in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  is  met  by  the  installation  of  emi- 
grant-hotels in  Belem,  in  Manaos  and  in  the  Territory  of  the 
Acre,  by  the  construction  of  hospitals  in  the  Interior  and  by  the 
creation  of  agricultural  colonies  adjacent  to  such  hospitals. 

The  hotels  for  the  reception  of  immigrants  shall  follow  the 
rule  and  be  guided  in  their  installation  by  that  of  the  Ilha  das 
Flores  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  that  latter  being  considered  a  Model 
Institution,  at  the  same  time  the  modifications  exacted  by  the 
conditions  of  each  particular  case,  that  of  Belem  having  sufficient 
capacity  to  accommodate  1.500  immigrants;  that  of  Manaos 
1,200  and  that  of  Acre  800.  Close  to  each  of  these  immigrant- 
quarters,  a  store-house  will  be  erected  which  shall  contain  all 
kinds  of  special  tools  and  utensils  employed  in  the  India  rubber 
industry,  the  which  will  be  sold  to  the  immigrants,  who  desire 
to  buy  them  at  strictly  cost  price. 

The  families  of  both  national  and  foreign  immigrants  who  do 

52 


not  expressly  declare  that  they  prefer  another  destination  will 
be  sent  to  the  National  Fazendas  (ranches)  of  the  Rio  Branco, 
where  they  will  be  located  and  distributed  among  the  different 
colonial  centres  in  the  different  colonies. 

The  hospitals  in  the  Interior  are  created  with  a  view  of  pro- 
viding the  inhabitants  of  the  Amazon  valley  with  a  centre  to 
which  they  may  have  recourse  and  where  they  may  be  treated, 
acquire  medicine  and  protect  themselves  against  contagious  dis- 
eases. The  points  selected  for  these  are  Boa  Vista  of  the  Rio 
Branco,  S.  Gabriel  on  the  Rio  Negro,  Teffe  or  Fonte  Boa  on  the 
river  Solimoes,  Sao  Felippe  on  the  river  Jurua,  Bocca  do  Acre  on 
the  Rio  Purus,  at  the  confluence  of  the  river  Arinos  with  the 
Juruena,  in  the  Alto  Tapajoz,  Conceigao  of  the  river  Araguaya, 
and  Montenegro  on  the  Amapa. 

Each  hospital  will  have  accommodation  for  100  sick  people 
and  will  be  divided  into  5  pavillions,  one  of  these  latter  being 
constructed  with  all  the  requisites  necessary  for  the  isolation  of 
infectious  diseases;  there  will  also  be  a  disinfecting  house,  a 
laboratory  for  chemical  and  microbiologic  diagnosis,  rooms  for 
surgical  operations  and  for  autopsies,  consulting  rooms  and 
pharmacy. 

There  will  also  be  a  service  of  propaganda  of  the  habits  and 
hygienic  measures  necessary  for  the  laborers  who  work  and  live 
in  the  Amazonian  valley. 

Adjoining  each  hospital,  agricultural  centres  will  be  founded 
wherein  to  localize  100  families  at  the  least,  these  agricultural 
centres  will  have  for  their  object  the  production  of  the 
alimenticiary  products  necessary  for  the  supply  of  the  said 
hospitals,  the  cultivation  and  extensive  breeding  of  the  plants 
and  animals  consumed  as  food  by  the  neighboring  population 
located  all  around,  and  the  constitution  of  fixed  centres  of  popu- 
lation which  shall  help  towards  the  increased  peopling  of  the 
region.  The  Government  will  assist  the  emigrants  in  the 
acquiring  of  lands  and  shall  furnish  them  with  food  stuffs  at  a 
low  price  and  their  maintenance  during  the  initial  period. 


Amongst  the  improvements  and  means  tending  to  facilitate 
transport  and  diminish  its  cost  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  the 
construction  of  systems  of  railways  and  the  betterment  of  the 
navigability  of  the  rivers  most  peopled,  is  of  great  importance. 

The  network  of  iron  roads  will  be  of  two  different  categories : 
systems  of  great  lines  forming  an  integral  part  of  the  general 
Federal  system  of  railroads  and  a  network  of  economic  narrow- 
gauged  railways  having  the  character  simply  of  penetration  lines. 

Belonging  to  the  first  of  these  categories  the  following  net- 

53 


works  will  be  commenced  at  once,  and  constructed  within  the 
shortest  space  of  time  possible :  1°  starting  from  Belem  de  Para 
and  joining  onto  the  general  railway  system  in  Pirapora,  Minas 
Geraes  and  in  Coroata,  in  Maranhao,  with  the  necessary  branches 
to  connect  the  initial  or  terminal  point  of  navigation  on  the 
rivers  Araguaya,  Tocantins,  Parnahyba  and  S.  Francisco;  2° 
starting  point  from  the  Madeira  e  Marmore  Railway  in  the 
proximity  of  the  mouth  of  the  Abuna,  passing  by  the  town  of 
Rio  Branco  and  by  the  most  appropriate  point  between  Senna 
Madueira  and  Catay  and  terminating  in  the  town  of  Thauma- 
turgo,  with  branch  line  right  up  to  the  frontier  of  Peru,  along  the 
valley  of  the  river  Purus. 

The  construction  and  renting  out  of  these  railways  will  be 
done  in  competition  by  Public  Tender. 

The  concession  for  the  railways  of  the  second  category  shall 
only  be  made  to  those  who  undertake  to  colonize  and  ex- 
ploit in  proportion  as  that  may  be  justified,  the  respective 
marginal  lands,  i.  e.,  the  land  lying  along  each  side  of  such  said 
lines.  The  Government  will  concede  a  subsidy  of  25 :000$000 
per  kilometre  constructed ;  the  technical  conditions  are :  a  line  of 
the  Decauville  portatil,  the  weight  of  the  rails  being  50  kilos  per 
metre,  with  a  gauge  of  0.60  between  the  rails  and  the  minimum 
radius  of  the  curve  40  meters  inclination  0.10  and  weight  of  the 
locomotives  in  full  working  order,  18  to  20  tons. 

By  way  of  experiment  the  Governments  will  bring  about  at 
once,  the  construction  of  2  economic  railway  systems,  1°  starting 
from  Antiga  Sauzel  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Xingu  and  going 
up  the  valley  as  far  as  the  river  Careahy,  with  a  branch  leading 
to  the  river  Tapajoz,  whose  valley  it  will  follow  until  the  river 
S.  Manoel  and  with  other  sub-branches ;  2°  starting  from  the  con- 
fluent of  the  Rio  Negro  with  the  Rio  Branco  and  following  the 
valleys  of  Seruiny  and  the  Caratimani  passing  over  the  water- 
shed and  going  on  until  it  terminates  in  the  Alto  Uraricoera, 
with  2  branches,  the  one  for  the  Alto  Paduary  and  the  other  for 
the  town  of  Boa  Vista. 

The  necessary  improvements  to  be  made  towards  effecting 
the  navigability  of  the  rivers  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  by 
steamers  drawing  up  to  3  feet  of  water,  of  the  Rio  Negro,  be- 
tween S.  Isabel  and  Cucuhy,  on  the  Rio  Branco  from  its  mouth 
as  far  as  S.  Joaquim ;  of  the  river  Purus  between  Hiutanaha  and 
Senna  Madureira,  and  of  the  river  Acre  from  its  mouth  as  far 
as  Riosinho  de  Pedras,  will  be  contracted  for  by  public-tender 
or  by  some  public  company  which  can  prove  itself  sufficiently 
capable  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  same.  The  maximum  time- 
term  for  the  termination  of  the  improvements  will  be  7  years. 

As   supplementary   measures,   the   exemption   from   taxes   is 

54 


conceded  to  the  floating  material  of  whatever  kind  destined  to 
fluvial  navigation  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon  and  floating 
depots  for  the  supply  of  coal  and  oil-fuel  will  be  established 
at  different  points  of  the  river  Amazon,  its  affluents  and  sub- 
affluents. 

The  establishment  of  these  depots  and  the  business  of  sup- 
plying the  combustibles  will  be  done  by  signed  contract,  with 
the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  after  the  competition  by  public- 
tender,  the  concessioner  enjoys  besides  other  favors,  exemption 
from  import-duties  for  the  floating  material  and  for  the  com- 
bustible material  imported  as  also  full  exemption  from  all  State 
and  Municipal  taxes  by  reason  of  the  object  of  his  contract  being 
considered  a  federal  public  service. 


The  creation  of  centres  for  producing  food-stuffs  in  the  valley 
of  the  Amazon  being  held  as  an  element  of  the  greatest  urgency 
towards  the  successful  issue  of  the  plan  elaborated,  is  assured 
by  the  following  series  of  administrative  measures :  1°,  the  rent- 
ing out  of  the  2  national  ranches  on  the  Rio  Branco,  that  of  S. 
Bento  and  that  of  S.  Marcus,  to  a  public  Company  or  under-tak- 
ing which  agrees  to  open  up,  and  practice  cattle-breeding 
of  different  kinds  on  a  large  scale  and  the  cultivation  of  cereals 
commonly  used  as  aliments,  the  establishment  of  a  curing  estab- 
lishment for  preparing  dry  meat,  known  as  xharque  and  a  factory 
of  alimenticiary  conserved  goods,  a  dairy  establishment,  a  rice- 
mill  and  2  mandioca  grinding-mills.  The  company  in  question 
will  take  charge  of  and  localize  the  emigrants  who  desire  to 
be  placed  upon  the  lands  belonging  to  the  said  ranches  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Federal  laws  regulating  such  matters. 

The  favors  of  exemption  from  duties  for  the  imported  material 
necessary  to  the  mounting  of  the  fazenda  or  ranch  and  the  in- 
stallation of  the  mills  and  factories  will  be  conceded,  as  also 
for  the  stud-cattle  and  seeds  imported  and  for  the  chemical 
manures  and  all  materials  necessary  for  the  factories  and  for 
the  cultivation  during  the  whole  of  the  time  of  the  contract. 
They  shall  also  enjoy  the  right  to  disappropriate  for  public 
utility  and  shall  have  preference  for  the  contract  to  carry  out 
the  necessary  works  and  improvements  in  the  navigation  of  the 
Rio  Branco. 

The  colonization  of  the  lands  of  the  "fazenda"  of  Sao  Marcus 
situated  between  the  rivers  Mahu,  Takutu,  Surumu  and  Cotingo 
on  the  frontier  of  British  Guyana,  will  be  made  directly  by  the 
Ministry  of  Agriculture.     2°  Premiums  and  favors  will  be  con- 

55 


ceded  to  whomsoever  may  found  great  ranches  for  cattle 
breeding  and  for  great  agricultural  purposes  in  territory  of  the 
Acre  (between  Rio  Branco  and  Xapury),  in  the  State  of  Ama- 
zonas  (in  the  region  of  the  Autaz),  in  the  State  of  Para  (in 
the  Island  of  Marajo),  or  in  other  more  convenient  point  of  the 
lower  Amazon. 

These  premiums  are  of  30  :000$000  per  group  of  1,000  hectares 
of  artificial  pastures,  planted  and  fenced  round,  of  100 :000$000 
per  group  of  1,000  hectares  of  lands  effectively  cultivated  with 
rice,  black  haricot  beans,  Indian-corn  and  mandioca,  and  100  :- 
000$000  per  group  of  500  tons  of  manufactured  goods,  of  dairy 
produce  and  of  preserved  meat  and  xarque,  which  may  have  been 
produced  within  a  time-space  of  5  years. 

The  favors  are  those  of  exemption  from  import  duties  for 
everything  whatsoever  that  may  be  necessary  to  the  proper  in- 
stallation and  maintenance  of  the  fazenda  or  ranch  during 
5  years.  3°  Concession  of  favors  to  a  fishing  company  or  under- 
taking, that  shall  be  established  either  in  Belem  or  in  Manaos, 
for  exercising  that  industry  and  all  subsidiary  industries  con- 
nected therewith  on  a  large  scale  on  the  rivers  of  Amazonia, 
The  favors  consist  of  the  entry  free  from  import  duties  for  all 
the  material  belonging  to  the  company  as  also  for  all  the  fittings 
of  steamers  and  other  floating  material  and  factories  that  may 
be  necessary  during  the  first  15  years,  encouragement  premiums 
of  10  :000$000  during  5  consecutive  years  in  the  event  of  the  pro- 
duction of  fish  either  preserved  or  salted  being  maintained  at 
a  figure  above  100  tons ;  the  right  of  disappropriation  for  public 
utility  of  the  lands  or  buildings  that  may  be  necessary  for  the 
undertaking,  the  exemption  from  state  and  municipal  taxes. 


Recognizing  the  utility  of  periodical  expositions  which  are 
held  as  centres  of  special  studies,  producing  practical  results  by 
the  sum  of  knowledge  which  may  be  derived  from  them,  3  yearly 
expositions  shall  be  held  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  which  shall  embrace 
all  and  everything  which  has  relation  to  the  rubber-industry. 


56 


OP    THE 

UNIVERSITY 
°* 

THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  WORK^THE 
EXPOSITION  OF  RUBBER  IN  RIO  DE 
JANEIRO  IN  THE  MONTH  OF 
MAY,  1913 

The  Superintendence  Department  of  the  Rubber-Defence,  a 
provisional  Department  of  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture,  Industry 
and  Commerce  on  which  is  incumbent  the  direction  and  fiscaliz- 
ing  of  all  the  services  comprised  under  the  Law  No.  2543  of  the 
fifth  of  January  of  1912,  has  already  initiated  its  works,  under- 
taking the  execution  of  the  following  measures. 

1.  Resolution  to  hold  a  National  Rubber  Exhibition  in  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  opening  on  the  thirteenth  of  May  of  1913. 

2.  Installation  of  experimental  stations,  7  centres  for  the 
cultivation  of  the  seringueira  (Acre,  Amazonas,  Para,  Maranhao, 
Piauhy,  Bahia  and  Matto  Grosso),  and  6  for  the  cultivation  of 
manicoba  and  mangabeira  (Piauhy,  Ceara,  Pernambuco,  Bahia, 
Minas  Geraes  and  Sao  Paulo). 

3.  Studies  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  in  the  basins  of  the 
rivers  Negro,  Solimoes,  Jurua,  Purus,  Tapajoz  and  Araguaya, 
and  in  the  territory  of  Amapa  for  the  establishment  of  interior 
hospitals  surrounded  by  small  agricultural  colonies. 

4.  Preliminary  services  for  the  construction  of  4  of  those 
hospitals  situated  respectively  in  Teffe  or  Fonte  Boa  on  the  river 
Solimoes  in  S.  Felippe  on  the  river  Jurua,  in  Bocca  do  Acre  and 
in  Montenegro  of  the  Amapa. 

5.  Drawing  up  of  the  plan  and  inventory  of  the  cattle  and 
buildings  in  the  part  to  rent  out  of  the  National  fazendas  of  the 
Rio  Branco;  idem  of  the  part  to  be  colonized  by  the  Govern- 
ment and  projects  of  the  colonial  centres  model  farm  for 
cattle-breeding,  horse  and  mule-raising,  radiographic  stations, 
etc. 

6.  Laying  of  a  Decauville  line  of  railway  along  the  rapids 
of  the  Rio  Branco,  in  order  to  secure  prompt  communication 
with  the  national  ranches,  which  are  to  be  let  out. 

7.  Construction  by  contract  or  by  administration  of  3 
dwelling  quarters  for  immigrants  in  the  Acre,  in  Manaos  and 
in  Belem.  

The  rubber  exposition  which  is  to  take  place  in  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  1  every  3  years,  will  have  for  its  object  to  show  the 
triennial  balance  of  rubber  in  its  various  modalities,  comparing 
it  with  the  situation  of  the  same  industry  in  other  countries. 

The  first  exhibition  will  be  inaugurated  on  the  thirteenth  of 
May  of  the  coming  year  and  will  be  divided  into  four  sections; 

57 


l°The  cultivation ;  2°extraction ;  3°  improvement ;  4°  manufacture 
of  articles. 

The  sections  will  be  divided  into  groups  and  classes  com- 
prising the  native  or  cultivated  plants,  machinery,  utensils, 
processes,  commercial  types,  studies  and  statistics. 

Encouragement  premiums  will  be  conferred  for  the  best  pro- 
cesses of  cultivation,  extraction  and  preparing  and  for  the 
objects  best  manufactured,  whether  of  raw  material  constituting 
trade  types  for  exportation  or  as  manufactured  articles. 

The  sale  of  machinery,  utensils  and  rubber  articles  and  prod- 
ucts of  all  kinds  will  be  provided  for  against  payment  of  a  small 
percentage,  fixed  by  the  organizing  commission. 

Foreign  products  may  be  admitted  to  the  exhibition,  but 
without  having  the  right  to  a  premium.  They  will  enjoy  full 
custom-house  freedom  from  import-duty,  but  should  they  be 
sold  they  shall  pay  the  respective  import-duty  on  the  occasion 
of  their  being  handed  over  to  the  buyers.  The  re-exportation  of 
the  products  not  sold  will  run  for  account  of  the  exhibitor. 

Lectures  upon  the  rubber-industry  will  be  given  during  the 
Exhibition-Congress. 

The  Commission  which  will  carry  out  the  Exposition  of  the 
thirteenth  of  May,  is  constituted  by  their  Excellencies  Senhores 
Drs.  Pedro  de  Toledo,  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Industry  and 
Commerce,  Raymondo  Pereira  da  Silva,  Superintendent  of  the 
Rubber-Defence  Department,  Miguel  Calmon  du  Pin  e  Almeida, 
Representative  of  the  National  Agricultural  Society,  Jorge 
Street,  President  of  the  Centro  Industrial  of  Brazil,  Julho 
Furtado,  Inspector  of  Forests,  Gardens,  Tree-planting,  Hunt- 
ing and  Fishing  of  the  Federal  District.  Representative  of  the 
Municipal  Prefecture  and  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Director 
of  the  Commercial  Museum  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Secretary  General. 

The  site  chosen  for  the  exposition  is  in  the  Quinta  de  Boa 
Vista,  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  park  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

The  preparatory  works,  such  as  the  ground-leveling,  laying- 
out  of  gardens,  adoption  of  pavillions  already  existing,  etc., 
is  now  already  in  full  course  of  being  carried  out. 

The  opportuneness  of  this  event,  the  interest  evinced  in  it 
by  the  South  and  North  and  the  United  forces  of  the  Institu- 
tions that  form  the  organizing  commission,  will  secure  a  very 
considerable  number  of  exhibitors. 

The  month  of  May,  one  of  the  pleasantest  months  as  regards 
temperature  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  is  the  season  chosen  by  those 
who  desire  to  visit  the  beautiful  capital  and  thus  the  gathering 
of  visitors  to  the  exhibition  will  certainly  be  notable. 

Thus  appears  certain  the  most  brilliant  success  for  the  Rub- 
ber Exhibition  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

58 


RUBBER  EXPORTERS 


ESTADO  DO  AMAZONAS— MANAOS 


A.  Santos  Cardoso 
Ahlers  &  Co. 
Armazens  Andresen 
Albert  H.  Alden,  Limited 
Barbosa  Tocantins 
De  Lagotellerie  &  Co. 
E.  Kingdon  &  Co. 
Gruner  &  Co. 
Gordon  &  Co. 


J.  G.  Araujo 
J.  H.  Barros 
Leite  &  Co. 
Mesquita  &  Co. 
R.  Suarez  &  Co. 
Semper  &  Co. 
Scholtz  Hartze  &  Co. 
Theodor  Levy  &  Co. 


ESTADO  DO  PARA 


A.  Meirelles  &  Co. 

A.  de  la  Reviere  &  Co. 

Alves  Braga  &  Co. 

Adelbert  H.  Alden,  Ltd. 

A.  A.  Antunes  &  Co. 

Barboza   &  Tocantins 

Braga  Sobrinho  &  Co. 

Coutinho  &  Co. 

Candido  Jose  Rodrigues 

De  Lagotellerie  &  Co. 

E.  Pinto  Alves  &  Co. 

Gumer  &  Co. 

Gordon  &  Co. 

Guilherme  Augusto  de  Mendonca 

I.  Serfaty  &  Co. 

Jeronymo  C.  Botelho 

Jose  Furtado  de  Mendonca 

J.   Marques   Braga 

Leite  &  Co. 

Mello  &  Co. 

Pereira  Bessa  &  Co. 

Pires  Teixeira  &  Co. 

Pinho  &  Costa 

Pereira  Lemos   &  Co. 

Raymundo  Vieira   Lima 

Rocha  Silva  &  Co. 

R.  Ahlers  &  Co. 

R.  Suarez  &  Co. 

Santos  Amaral  &  Co. 

Cunock  Schrader  &  Co. 

D.  Costa  &  Co. 

H.  A.  Astlett  &  Co. 

J.  Marques 

Neale  &  Staats 

Sluglehurst  Brocklehurst  &  Co. 


Boulevard   da    Republica   34 
Boulevard   da  Republica  3S 
Rua  da  Industria  27  e  29 
Rua  13  de  Maio  21  e  23 
Caixa  do   Correio  353 

Rua  Senador  Manoel  Barata 
Boulevard  da  Republica  24 


Rua  da  Industria  43 


Travessa   Campos    Salles 

Boulevard  da  Republica  "37 
Rua  15  de  Novembro  30 
Travessa  Marquez  de  Pombal  8 

Rua  13  de  Maio  46 


Rua  da  Industria  59 

Boulevard   da    Republica   36 
Boulevard   da   Republica  25 
Praca  Visconde  Rio   Branco  20 
Boulevard   da   Republica   7 
Praca  Visconde  do  Rio  Branco 
Rua  da  Industria  5 


59 


ESTADO  DA  BAHIA— S.  SALVADOR 


Ulmann  &  Co. 

F.  Benn  &  Co. 

F.  Steverson  &  Co. 

Hesse  &  Co. 

Hirsch,  Hes  &  Co. 

L.  Costa  &  Co. 

Ottens  &  Co. 

Rosbach  Brazil  Company 

S.  S.  Schindler 


Rua  das  Princezas  12 


Caes  do  Ouro  27 
Caixa  do  Correio  133 

Rua   Corpo  Santo 


ESTADO  DO  MARANHAO— S.  LUIZ 


Jorge  &  Santos 
Joaquim  Julio  Correia  &  Co. 
Francisco  Freitas  &  Co. 
Oliveira  Neves  &  Co. 
Currha  Santos  &  Co. 


Rua  da  Estrella  25 


Rua  Portugal  28 


ESTADO  DE  MATTO  GROSSO— CUYABA 

Almeida  &  Co. 
Alexandre  Ador  &  Co. 
Figueiredo  &  Oliveira 
Lucas  Borges  &  Co. 
Orlando  Irmaos  &  Co. 
Ponce  Azevedo  &  Co. 


CORUMBA. 


Yosetti    &    Co. 
Pereira  Sobrinho  &  Co. 
Wanderley  Bais  &  Co. 
Pasques   Fillio   &  Co. 


S.  LUIZ  DE  CACERES 


Benedicto  R.  Villas  Boas 

Joao  Campos  Vidal 

Jose  Dulce  &  Co. 

Manoel  Pedroso  da  Silva  Bouden 


GO 


MINISTERIUM  OF  AGRICULTURE,  INDUSTRY 
AND  COMMERCE 


BRAZIL 


FEDERAL  LAW  AND  REGULATIONS 

COVERING  THE  PROTECTION  AND 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  RUBBER 
INDUSTRY      IN       BRAZIL 


Decree  No.  2.542A  of  January  5,    1912  and 
Decree  No.  9,521    of  April    17,    1912 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  BRAZILIAN  COMMISSIONER 

THIRD  INTERNATIONAL  RUBBER  AND  ALLIED  TRADES  EXHIBITION 

NEW  YORK.  1912 

61 


HEVEA  BRASILIENSIS. 
62 


ACT  OF  CONGRESS 

Decree  No.  2542A  of  January  5,  1912 

Establishing  measures  destined  to  facilitate  and  develop  the 
culture  of  rubber,  Caucho,  Manitoba  and  Mangabeira,  and  the 
gathering  and  treatment  of  the  rubber  extracted  from  these  trees, 
and  authorizing  the  executive  power  not  only  to  open  the  credits 
necessary  to  carry  out  these  measures,  but  also  to  contract  such 
loans  as  may  be  necessary  for  that  purpose. 

The  President  of  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  of  Brazil : 
Hereby  makes  known  that  the  National  Congress  decreed 
and  I  hereby  sanction  the  following  resolution: 

Art.  1. — All  utensils  and  materials  destined  for  the  culture 
of  rubber  (seringueira),  Caucho,  Manitoba  and  Mangebeira 
and  for  the  collecting  or  treatment  of  rubber  extracted  from  these 
trees,  whether  for  the  purpose  of  extracting  or  experimenting, 
shall  be  admitted  free  of  all  custom  house  duties,  including  fees. 

Only  Section. — This  exemption  will  have  to  be  requisitioned 
of  the  inspectors  at  custom  houses,  who  will  grant  it  without 
delay  after  verifying  the  right  of  those  seeking  this  favor. 

Art.  2. — Premiums  will  be  granted  to  those  who  start  regular 
and  entirely  new  plantations  of  Seringueira,  Caucho,  Manitoba  or 
Mangabeira,  or  replant  old  forests  of  Seringueira,  Caucho,  Mani- 
toba or  Mangabeira,  as  soon  as  the  plantation  has  taken  place, 
and  will  be  paid  on  the  following  conditions: 

(a)  For  groups  of  12  hectares  (about  30  acres)  of  new  culture, 
2,500  milreis  if  seringueira;  1,500  milreis  if  caucho  or  manicoba; 
900  milreis  if  mangabeira. 

(b)  For  groups  of  25  hectares,  the  replanting  of  native  serin- 
gueira, caucho,  manigoba  or  mangabeira,  2,000  milreis ;  for  the 
first,  1,000  milreis;  for  the  second  and  third,  and  720  milreis  for 
the  fourth  kind. 

Section  1.  These  premiums  will  be  payable  one  year  before 
the  first  gathering,  when  it  is  shown  that  the  ground  is  entirely 
cultivated  and  the  trees  well  cared  for. 

Sec.  2.  An  increase  of  5  per  cent  will  be  given  annually  in 
addition  to  the  premium  offered  planters  of  seringa  rubber  (to 
count  from  the  beginning  of  the  planting),  who  prove  that  they 
have  cultivated  between  the  rows  in  all  the  ground  planted, 
plants  of  alimentation  or  of  industrial  use. 

Art.  3.  The  Government  will  establish,  at  a  selected  con- 
venient point*  an  experimental  station,  or  field  for  demonstrating 

63  ' 


the  culture  of  seringueira  in  the  Territory  of  Acre,  in  each  of  the 
States  of  Matto  Grosso,  Amazonas,  Para,  Maranhao,  Piauhy  and 
Bahia,  and  for  the  culture  of  manigoba  jointly  with  mangabeira, 
in  each  of  the  States  of  Piauhy,  Ceara,  Rio  Grande  do  Norte, 
or  Pernambuco,  Bahia,  Minas  Geraes,  Sao  Paulo,  Goyaz,  Parana 
and  Matto  Grosso. 

These  stations  will  furnish  gratuitously,  selected  seed  to  all 
those  interested,  also  instructions  as  to  the  most  practical  and 
economic  methods  of  culture  and  will  supply  information  con- 
cerning general  results,  which  will  be  verified  at  the  end  of  each 
year. 

Art.  4. — In  addition  to  the  indirect  favors  which  are  men- 
tioned in  Art.  1  and  others  which  may  seem  reasonable  and  neces- 
sary, the  Government  will  grant  the  right  of  premiums  of  en- 
couragement, up  to  the  sum  of  400,000  milreis  to  the  first  plant 
established  for  refining  the  seringa  rubber,  that  reduces  the  dif- 
ferent qualities  to  a  uniform  type  and  superior  to  that  exported 
and  which  may  be  established  in  each  of  the  cities  of  Belem 
(Para),  and  Manaos;  up  to  100,000  milreis  to  the  first  refining 
plant  of  manigoba  and  mangabeira  rubber,  that  accomplishes 
the  same  purpose  and  is  established  in  each  of  the  States  of 
Piauhy,  Ceara,  Rio  Grande  do  Norte,  Pernambuco,  Bahia,  Minas 
Geraes  and  Sao  Paulo;  and  up  to  500,000  milreis  to  the  first  fac- 
tory of  rubber  articles  which  shall  be  established  in  Manaos, 
Belem  (para),  Recife  (Pernambuco),  Bahia  and  Rio  de  Janeiro, 

Only  Section. — In  order  to  have  the  right  to  the  benefit  of 
the  above  article  it  is  necessary  for  the  factory  to  have  actually 
employed  a  capital  four  times  as  great  as  the  value  of  the 
premium. 

Art.  5. — The  Government  will  put  up  three  buildings  to  house 
immigrants,  to  be  of  sufficient  capacity  and  internally  arranged, 
the  same  as  those  on  Flores  Island.  In  Belem,  Manaos,  at  an 
appropriate  place  in  the  Territory  of  Acre,  and  also  at  places  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Amazon,  where  they  are  considered  to  be  the 
most  necessary,  hospitals  are  to  be  erected,  surrounded  by  small 
agricultural  colonies  where  the  sick  can  be  received  for  treatment, 
be  vaccinated  gratuitously,  and  where  medicines  of  the  first 
quality  are  kept  for  sale,  especially  sulphate  of  quinine.  Pamph- 
lets containing  suggestions  about  hygiene,  prevention  of  the 
diseases  of  that  region  and  the  practical  remedies  to  use  in  the 
absence  of  a  physician,  will  be  distributed  freely. 

The  superintendence  of  these  stations  will  be  maintained  by 
the  Federal  Government,  but  the  hospitals  will  be  entrusted  to 
professionals  of  recognized  ability,  under  a  subvention  or  other 
favors,  which  the  Government  considers  reasonable  and  rules 
will  be  enforced  which  will  secure  their  proper  regulation. 

64 


"SERINGUEIRA"  HEVEA  BRASILIENSIS. 

MULL,  ARC  (11). 

65 


Art.  6. — For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  transportation  and 
reducing-  its  cost  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  the  Government 
will  cause  to  be  made,  as  soon  as  possible,  the  following  im- 
provements : 

1.  The  construction  by  the  Government  of  narrow  gauge 
railroads  along  the  Rivers  Xingu,  Tapajos  and  others  in  Para, 
Matto  Grosso,  and  of  the  Rio  Negro  and  Rio  Branco  and  others 
in  Amazonas,  through  the  valleys  through  which  they  flow,  in 
accordance  with  the  authorization  of  Congress,  Law  No.  1,126, 
December  13,  1903,  at  the  price  fixed  per  kilometer,  according 
to  the  difficulties  of  the  region,  at  the  discretion  of  the  Govern- 
ment. 

In  case  the  State  of  Para  and  Amazonas  should  contract  for 
the  construction  of  some  of  these  railroads,  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment for  the  more  rapid  completion  of  the  work  will  concede 
an  increase  of  15  contos  per  kilometer. 

2.  The  construction  of  a  railroad,  which,  parting  at  a  conveni- 
ent point  of  the  Madeira-Marmore  Railroad,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  River  Abuna,  passes  by  the  village  Rio  Branco,  and  at  a 
point  between  Senna  Madureira  and  Caty,  and  terminates  in  the 
village  Thaumaturgo,  with  a  branch  to  the  frontier  of  Peru,  by 
the  valley  of  the  Purus  River. 

The  construction  of  this  road  shall  be  in  accordance  with 
the  provisions  of  Law  No.  1,126,  of  December  13,  1903.  As 
soon  as  the  first  section  of  the  trunk  line  is  inaugurated  to  the 
village  of  Rio  Branco,  the  Government  will  install  a  custom  house 
at  Porto  Velho  on  the  Madeira  River  and  announce  this  port 
open  to  commerce  with  friendly  nations. 

3.  Construction  of  a  railroad  starting  at  the  port  of  Belem  of 
Para  and  joining  the  net  work  of  railroads  of  Central  Brazil  at 
Pirapora,  in  the  State  of  Minas  Geraes,  and  of  Northern  Brazil 
at  Coroata,  in  the  State  of  Maranhao,  with  the  necessary  branch 
lines  to  join  the  initial  points  or  terminals  of  navigation  on  the 
Rivers  Araguaya,  Tocantins,  Parnahyba  and  S.  Francisco.  The 
railroad  shall  be  built  according  to  the  provisions  of  Law  No. 
1,126,  December  13,  1903,  and  shall  be  leased  by  public  competi- 
tion. 

4.  The  execution  of  the  works  necessary  for  the  effective 
navigation,  at  any  season  of  the  year,  of  steamers  drawing  three 
feet  of  water ;  on  the  Rio  Negro,  between  Santa  Isabel  and 
Cucuhy ;  on  the  Rio  Branco,  from  its  mouth  to  Fort  S.  Joaquim ; 
on  the  River  Purus,  from  Hyutanahan  to  Senna  Madureira;  on 
the  River  Acre  from  its  mouth  to  Riosinho  das  Pedras. 

The  Government  may  contract  for  the  execution  of  these 
works  by  public  competition,  or  independent  of  competition,  with 
one   or   more   individuals   or   firms   offering   sufficient   guaranty, 

66 


applying  the  provisions  established  by  the  decree,  No.  6,368,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1907,  or  others,  which  will  not  impose  greater  burdens, 
and  which  may  be  more  economic. 

Art.  7. — For  the  same  purpose  as  mentioned  in  the  previous 
article,  all  vessels  of  any  kind  destined  for  river  navigation,  are 
declared  exempt  from  all  custom  house  duties,  including  fees, 
revision,  rates. 

Art.  8. — The  Government  will  grant  the  same  exemption  in 
addition  to  the  indirect  favors  found  convenient,  to  the  contractor 
who  will  bind  himself  at  a  public  competition,  to  establish  coal 
depots  at  points  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon  previously  indicated, 
and  to  supply  steamers  and  launches  with  fuel  at  prices  approved 
by  the  Government. 

Art.  9. — The  Government  will  promote  and~aid  the  production 
of  food  stuffs  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon  through  the  following 
measures,  or  others  which  may  be  found  convenient  and  promise 
satisfactory  results. 

1.  The  leasing  of  two  of  the  National  Reservations  on  the  Rio 
Branco,  at  a  public  auction  or  private  competition  to  a  reliable 
concern,  which  binds  itself  to  develop  on  a  large  scale,  the  breed- 
ing of  cattle  of  improved  types,  the  production  of  cereals,  and 
other  foodstuffs,  to  establish  packing  houses,  dairies,  rice-shelling 
mills,  flour  and  mandiok  mills,  etc. 

2.  Direct  colonization,  through  the  Federal  Government,  on 
lands  still  belonging  to  the  Union,  on  the  S.  Marcos  Reservation, 
situated  between  the  Rivers  Mahu,  Tacutu,  Surumu  and  Cotingo, 
with  native  families  of  farmers  and  stock-farmers,  with  a  view 
of  developing  and  increasing  the  production  of  foodstuffs,  as  well 
as  horses  and  mules. 

3.  Concession  to  concerns  which  propose  to  establish  large 
plantations  or  colonies  under  the  above  mentioned  conditions, 
one  in  the  Territory  of  Acre  (between  the  Rio  Branco  and  Xar- 
pury),  one  in  the  State  of  Amazonas  (in  the  region  of  the  Autaz 
River),  and  one  in  the  State  of  Para  (on  the  island  of  Marajo 
or  other  point  more  convenient  on  the  lower  Amazon),  granting 
them  the  following  favors : 

(a)  Exemption  from  all  import  duties,  including  fees,  for  all 
material  imported,  necessary  for  establishing  the  plantation,  in- 
cluding buildings,  corrals,  pastures,  fences,  watering  places,  agri- 
cultural implements  and  machines  for  the  cultivation,  harvesting 
and  treatment  of  cereals,  the  installation  of  factories  treating 
dairy  produce  and  packing  houses,  as  well  as  cattle  and  seed 
which  may  be  imported  during  the  first  five  years  after  the  plan- 
tation is  started. 

(b)  Premiums  of  30,000  milreis  for  lots  of  1,000  hectares  of 
cultivated  pasture,  planted  and  conveniently  fenced,  and  of  100,- 

67 


000  milreis  for  lots  of  1,000  hectares  of  improved  land  for  farm- 
ing and  actually  planted  with  rice,  beans,  corn  or  mandioca. 

(c)  A  premium  of  100,000  milreis  for  lots  of  500  tons  of  pro- 
ducts made  from  milk,  packed  meats  and  dried  beef,  which  were 
produced  within  five  years. 

4.  Exemption  from  all  import  duties,  including  that  of  fees, 
for  the  vessels,  instruments,  machinery,  drugs  and  ingredients 
necessary  for  the  installation  and  working,  for  a  period  of  15 
years,  of  a  fishing  enterprise,  including  the  salting  and  preserving 
of  fish,  that  may  be  established  on  the  Amazon  rivers,  and  the 
concession  of  a  premium  of  10  :000$  for  five  consecutive  years, 
when  the  production  of  salted  and  preserved  fish  shall  be  above 
100  tons  annually. 

Art.  10. — The  Government  shall  proceed  to  the  discrimination, 
and  consequent  acknowledgment  of  the  owners  of  the  lands  in 
the  Territory  of  Acre,  for  the  confirmation  of  their  respective 
property  titles. 

Section  1. — In  the  verification  the  following  should  be  con- 
sidered as  much  as  possible : 

(a)  The  titles  granted  by  the  Governors  of  the  States  of  the 
Amazon,  of  Bolivia  and  the  former  independent  State  of  Acre 
before  the  treaty  of  Petropolis. 

(b)  The  mild  and  pacific  possessions  acquired  by  first  occu- 
pation, or  from  the  first  occupant,  which  shall  be  found  in  active 
exploration,  or  with  its  beginnings  and  habitual  residence  of  the 
possessor,  or  his  representatives. 

Sec.  2. — The  maximum  area  of  each  lot  shall  be  10  kilometers 
square. 

Sec.  3. — The  Government  will  review  the  arrangements  of 
Law,  No.  601,  September  18,  1850,  and  Decree  No.  1,318,  January 
30,  1854,  expediting  a  new  regulation  of  lands,  with  the  modifi- 
cations of  the  present  law  and  those  which  appear  more  conven- 
ient to  the  actual  situation  of  the  Federal  territories. 

Art.  II. — Every  three  years,  the  Government  shall  promote 
the  realization,  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  of  an  exposition  embracing  all 
that  pertains  to  the  national  rubber  industry,  and  on  these  occa- 
sions it  will  grant  premiums  of  encouragement,  totaling  an 
amount  equal  to  that  which  shall  be  authorized  by  law  of  the 
budget  in  force,  for  the  best  processes  of  culture  and  treatment, 
and  to  the  producers  of  the  best  manufactured  articles. 

Art.  12. — The  Executive  Power  is  authorized  to  enter  into  an 
agreement  with  the  States  of  Para,  Amazonas  and  Matto  Grosso, 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  annual  reduction  of  10  per  cent, 
until  the  maximum  limit  of  50  per  cent,  of  the  actual  value  of  the 
export  duties  placed  by  the  States  upon  the  seringa  rubber  pro- 
duced in  their  territories,  and  the  exemption  from  any  export 
duty,  for  the  space  of  25  years,  to  begin  from  the  date  of  this  law, 

68 


upon  rubber  of  the  same  quality  and  derivation  which  may  be 
gathered  from  cultivated  seringaes. 

At  the  time  the  agreement  is  effected,  the  executive  power 
shall  issue  a  decree  making  such  reduction  which  the  States  may 
make  in  the  export  duty  collected  on  the  rubber  of  the  Federal 
Territory  of  Acre  and  conceding  an  equal  exemption  upon  culti- 
vated rubber. 

Art.  13. — In  addition  the  Government  is  authorized  to  enter 
into  an  agreement  with  the  above  mentioned  States  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing,  in  relation  to  the  rubber  of  the  Territory 
of  Acre,  the  measures  of  protection  and  defense,  which  they 
have  adopted  in  relation  to  the  production,  or  other  measures 
which  may  be  thought  better,  and  having  the  power  to  issue  the 
decrees  necessary  for  this  purpose. 

Art.  14. — For  the  entire  execution  of  this  law  and  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  measures  decreed,  the  executive  power,  shall  issue, 
as  quickly  as  possible,  the  necessary  regulations ;  it  shall  open 
each  year  the  credits  that  may  be  necessary,  rendering  an  account 
to  the  Legislative  power  the  year  following,  of  the  amounts  ex- 
pended, of  the  work  done,  of  the  results  obtained  and  making  the 
operations  of  credit  which  such  services  and  measures  demand. 

Art.  15. — All  laws  contrary  to  this  are  revoked. 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  January  5,  1912,  91st  year  of  Independence 
and  the  24th  year  of  the  Republic. 

HERMES  R.  da  FONSECA, 
PEDRO  de  TOLEDO. 

Order  according  to  Federal  Law,  number  2,543A,  Jan.  5,  1912 
Decree  number  9,521,  April  17,  1912 

Art.  1.  The  measures  and  services  created  by  law  number 
2,543A,  Jan.  5  of  the  present  year,  for  the  economic  defense  of 
rubber,  has  in  view : 

1.  The  encouragement  of  the  extractive  and  cultivating  in- 
dustry of  the  principal  trees  producing  rubber. 

2.  The  creation  of  the  refining  and  manufacturing  industry 
of  rubber  articles. 

3.  Assistance  to  immigrants,  native  and  foreign,  recently  ar- 
rived, and  to  the  laborers  already  established  in  the  valley  of 
the  Amazon. 

4.  To  facilitate  transportation  and  decrease  its  cost  in  the 
valley  of  the  Amazon. 

5.  To  create  central  producers  of  alimentary  foodstuffs  in 
the  valley  of  the  Amazon. 

6.  To  discriminate  and  legalize  the  possessors  of  lands  in 
the  Federal  Territory  of  Acre. 

7.  To  hold  triennial  expositions  in  Rio-  de  Janeiro,  embrac- 

69 


ing  everything  that  relates  the  national  rubber  industry. 

8.  To  authorize  agreements  with  the  States  producing  ser- 
inga rubber,  for  decreasing  the  duties  of  exportation  and  for  the 
protection  and  aid  of  the  rubber  commerce. 

Sole  Paragraph.  It  shall  be  the  object  of  each  of  these  meas- 
ures and  means  referred  to  in  number  8  and  of  the  special  rules, 
that  they  shall  publish  at  opportune  times,  as  well  as  those  re- 
ferred to  in  number  6  and  that  part  of  number  4  which  speaks 
of  the  revision  and  consolidation  of  the  regulations  of  the  coast- 
wise merchant  marine. 

TITLE  I 

The  means  of  encouragement  of  the  extractive  and  cultivating 
industry  of  the  principal  rubber  producing  trees 

CHAPTER  I 

The  reduction  of  the  cost  of  implements  and  materials  employed 
in  the  development  of  the  rubber  industry 

Art.  2.  The  implements  and  regular  materials  in  the  list  an- 
nexed to  this  regulation,  are  free  of  all  import  duties,  including 
the  fees  when  employed  for  the  cultivation  of  seringueira, 
caucho,  manicoba  and  mangabeira  and  the  improved  collection 
of  the  extracted  rubber,  from  these  trees,  whether  it  treats  of 
the  development  purely  extractive,  or  of  the  development  of  cul- 
tivation. 

Sole  Paragraph.  Materials  and  machinery  which  shall  be  dis- 
covered or  invented  during  the  time  this  regulation  is  in  force, 
which  have  special  application  to  the  rubber  industry,  shall  en- 
joy the  same  exemption  from  import  duties. 

Art.  3.  The  exemption  shall  be  quickly  granted  by  the  cus- 
tom house  inspectors,  from  whom  the  claimants  should  require 
it,  uniting  all,  or  only  those  necessary  as  the  case  may  be,  the 
following  documents : 

1.  The  last  receipt  of  the  duty  of  declarations  of  the  Munic- 
ipality or  Mayor  to  whose  jurisdiction  it  pertains,  by  which  is 
proven  that  the  claimant  is  developing  on  his  own  or  rented 
property,  the  extractive  or  cultivating  rubber  industry,  or  that 
he  is  a  merchant  established  with  a  house  prepared  for  goods 
for  rubber  gatherers,  when  it  treats  of  regular  objects  of  the 
first  group. 

2.  Attested  by  the  Municipality  or  Mayor  to  whose  juris- 
diction he  belongs,  that  the  claimant  possesses  proper  land  and 
that  he  is  about  to  effectively  undertake  the  culture  of  some  of 
the  trees  above  mentioned  and  treatment  of  their  rubber  or  an 
authentic  copy  of  the  concession  for  this  purpose,  which  he  may 

70 


Mr  *-    Clk' 


CASTILLOA   ELASTICA. 
71 


have  obtained  from  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  in  case  he  treats 
of  regular  objects  of  the  second,  third  or  fourth  group. 

3.  A  detailed  statement  of  the  kind  and  quality  of  objects 
or  material  which  it  is  necessary  to  import,  or  has  been  im- 
ported, which  it  is  necessary  to  despatch. 

Sole  Paragraph.  The  importer  shall  become  responsible,  dur- 
ing this  period,  to  the  exchequer  for  any  errors  that  may  have 
bee:    made. 

Art.  4.  The  product,  drug  or  object  that  may  be  similar  to 
thai  produced  in  this  country,  will  not  be  exempt  from  import 
ddtivs,  when  the  cost  in  this  market  in  which  he  would  have 
to  buy  it  was  equal  to  that  of  the  imported  merchandise,  less 
the  value  of  the  import  duty  which  he  would  have  to  pay  in  the 
custom  houses. 

CHAPTER  II 

The  money  premiums  offered  to  those  who  cultivate  the  principal 
rubber  producing  trees 

Art.  5.  To  every  one  who  makes  an  entirely  new  culture  of 
Seringueira,  caucho,  manigoba  or  mangabeira,  or  replants  ser- 
ingaes,  manigobaes,  couchaes  or  native  mangabaes,  shall  be 
given,  in  the  first  case  and  for  groups  of  12  hectares,  premiums 
of  2,500  milreis,  when  it  is  Seringueira;  1,500  milreis  when 
caucho  or  manigoba,  and  900  milreis  when  mangabeira — and  in 
the  second  case  and  for  groups  of  25  hectares,  2,000  milreis 
when  it  is  seringueiras,  1,000  milreis  when  couchaes  or  mani- 
gobas  and  720  milreis  when  mangabaes,  when  the  following  con- 
ditions are  observed: 

1.  Sending  beforehand  to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  a  plan 
of  the  property  in  which  he  expects  to  make  the  culture,  indicat- 
ing the  area,  water  courses  navigable  for  steamers,  launches  or 
only  canoes,  and  of  the  means  of  access  from  headquarters  to 
the  port  (fluvial  or  maritime)  or  the  nearest  station  on  the  rail- 
road, mentioning  these  respective  distances  in  case  the  property 
is  situated  in  the  interior.  The  plan  shall  be  accompanied  by  a 
descriptive  memorandum,  containing  as  much  detailed  descrip- 
tion as  possible  as  to  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  its  adaptation  to 
what  shall  be  principally  cultivated,  and  to  those  which  may 
advantageously  be  subsidiary;  the  production  of  rubber  for  the 
last  three  years  in  case  it  treats  of  the  property  in  development, 
and  about  the  conditions  of  healthfulness. 

2.  It  shall  declare  whether  it  is  new  culture  or  replanting 
that  is  proposed  to  be  done  and  in  the  second  case  the  number 
of  trees  in  development  the  property  has  already. 

3.  When  the  cultivation  is  of  Seringueiras  one  must  declare 

72 


whether  he  expects  to  make  parallel  cultivations  or  not,  speci- 
fying which  and  whether  they  occupy  the  land  planted  to  rub- 
ber, or  land  separate. 

4.  To  communicate  to  official  charged  with  the  fiscalization 
the  beginning  and  ending  of  the  planting,  with  the  necessary 
antecedence,  the  year  in  which  the  first  harvest  will  be  gathered, 
facilitating  the  examination  of  the  property  at  any  time,  and  as 
many  times  as  desired. 

Art.  6.  The  least  number  of  trees  per  hectare  for  new  cul- 
ture shall  be  250  for  seringueira  and  caucho,  and  400  for  mani- 
goba  and  mangabeira.  In  the  event  of  replanting,  when  pos- 
sible, the  distance  between  the  trees  should  be  6  to  6.50  metres 
for  seringueiras  and  caucho,  and  5  metres  for  manigoba  and 
mangabeira. 

Art.  7.  To  those  who  cultivate  with  seringueiras  plants  of 
alimentation  or  industrial  utility,  in  all  the  land  improved,  or 
in  other  land  equal  to  one-third  of  the  dimensions  of  the  first, 
there  will  be  conferred  annually,  from  the  beginning  of  the  cul- 
tivation to  the  year  of  the  first  rubber  harvest,  a  supplementary 
premium  corresponding  in  value  to  5  per  cent  of  the  principal 
premium. 

Art.  8.  Premiums  will  not  be  paid  for  principal  or  subsidiary 
cultures  which  in  the  final  inspections  for  the  first  and  the  an- 
nual inspections  for  the  others,  the  trees  show  poor  treatment 
or  they  contain  an  amount  exceeding  15  per  cent  of  flaws. 

Art.  9.  The  premiums  shall  be  paid  directly  by  the  Dele- 
gacia  Fiscal  of  the  State  where  the  property  is  situated,  in  the 
preceding  the  first  harvest  of  rubber,  through  the  demand  of 
the  claimant,  with  certificate  from  the  Government  inspector, 
declaring  that  all  the  conditions  required  in  this  regulation  were 
faithfully   complied   with. 

Sole  Paragraph.  The  inspector  who  makes  out  the  certificate 
shall  immediately  notify  the  Minister  and  will  be  held  responsi- 
ble at  all  times  for  the  value  of  the  premium  paid,  in  case  his  in- 
formation should  be  found  false  in  whole  or  in  part. 

Art.  10.  At  sight  of  the  documents  spoken  of  in  Art.  5,  and 
after  examining  them,  the  claimant  shall  be  entered  ex-efficio  in 
the  general  register  of  farmers,  existing  in  the  General  Directory 
of  Agriculture  with  the  advantages  and  guarantees  it  offers  him. 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Experimental  Stations  for  the  culture  of  rubber 

Art.  11.  The  experimental  stations  for  the  culture  of  serin- 
gueira in  the  Territory  of  Acre  and  the  States  of  Matto-Grosso, 
Amazonas,  Para,  Maranhao,  Piauhy  and  Bahia,  and  for  the  culture 

73 


of  manicpba  jointly  with  that  of  mangabeira,  in  the  States  of 
Piauhy,  Ceara,  Parnambuco,  Bahia,  Minas  Geraes,  S.  Paulo, 
Goyaz,  Parana  and  Matto  Grosso,  have  in  view  with  the  experi- 
mental study  of  all  the  factors  relating  to  the  regional  culture  of 
each  of  these  trees,  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  the  cultivators 
with  precise  data  for  the  adoption  of  methods  and  processes, 
which  will  make  possible  the  economic  and  perfect  production 
of  their  respective  rubber. 

Art.  12.  The  experimental  stations  shall  be  established  on 
lands  that  possess  the  following  requisites : 

1.  Climatic  situation  and  agricultural  conditions  required  by 
the  nature  or  quality  of  the  plant  to  be  cultivated. 

2.  The  physical  constitution  and  natural  chemical  composi- 
tion which  will  permit  conjunctly  and  parallel  the  culture  of  the 
principal  food  stuffs  or  plants  of  industrial  utility. 

3.  Localization  at  points  easily  accessible  by  good  roads  so 
that  they  can  be  visited  and  verified,  as  well  in  the  fields  as  in 
the  books  of  registry  of  the  farmers  and  agricultural  accounts 
of  the  practical  results  and  economies  of  the  different  services 
and  operations.  The  existence  of  permanent  water  courses,  or 
dams  with  sufficient  capacity  to  guarantee  irrigation  when  neces- 
sary, and  also  other  agricultural  services. 

Art.  13.  The  total  area  of  each  experimental  station  shall 
be  from  80  to  100  hectares,  so  that  there  can  be  made  at  the 
same  time  in  distinct  partial  areas  the  culture  of  the  portions 
destined  for  experiments  relative  to  each  kind  of  tree  and  a 
demonstration  of  the  normal  systematic  development  of  the  re- 
spective culture,  for  comparison  of  the  products  and  their 
revenue. 

Art.  14.  In  the  area  reserved  for  demonstration,  there  shall 
be  included  those  which  will  serve  as  examples,  being  the  first 
cultivated  between  the  processes  that  shall  have  proven  the  most 
advantageous  and  which  are  sought  to  be  introduced,  and  lastly 
of  those  generally  adopted  in  that  region. 

Art.  15.  In  each  station  there  shall  be  reserved  the  land 
necessary  for  the  establishment  of  a  nursery  of  fruit  trees  and 
the  production  of  selected  seeds  of  alimentary  plants  or  those 
of  industrial  utility,  whose  culture  along  with  the  principal 
plant  shall  be  considered  advantageous. 

Art.  16.  Every  experimental  station  shall  have  the  follow- 
ing installations : 

1.  A  physiological  vegetable  laboratory,  the  proving  of  seeds 
and  phytopathology. 

2.  Laboratory  of  agricultural  entomology. 

3.  Laboratory  of  argicultural,  vegetable  and  bromatological 
chemistry. 

74 


FUMIGATING  CAOUTCHOUC. 

75 


4.  Laboratory  of  mircobiological  and  technical  agriculture. 

5.  An  agricultural  and  floral  museum. 

6.  A  corridor  for  machines. 

7.  A  meteorological  station. 

Sole  Paragraph.  A  station  that  may  be  established  in  a 
region  where  there  already  exists  a  federal  institution  of  similar 
kind,  pertaining  to  agriculture  in  general,  the  installations  above 
mentioned  shall  be  reduced  to  numbers  5,  6,  and  7  and  shall  be 
provided  with  a  small  laboratory  for  the  mechanical  analysis  of 
the  soil,  and  utensils  and  instruments  necessary  for  the  proving 
of  seeds  of  useful  vegetables,  so  that  a  choice  or  selection  may  be 
made  and  their  identity,  purity,  quality  and  germanating  energy 
may  be  verified,  including  in  these  experiments  those  which 
refer  to  plants  that  are  injurious. 

Art.  17.  To  accomplish  the  ends  proposed,  the  experimental 
stations  ought  to: 

1.  Attend  the  consultations  that  may  be  held  upon  any  agriL 
cultural  question  in  their  line. 

2.  Execute  gratuitously  analysis  of  fertilizers,  spices,  plants 
and  water,  when  required  by  the  nearest  federal  institute,  when 
it  does  not  possess  the  necessary  laboratories. 

3.  Distribute  selected  plants  and  seeds. 

4.  Study  the  diseases  common  to  the  plants  cultivated  and 
the  means  of  combating  them,  and  explaining  these  things  to 
those  interested. 

5.  To  publish  yearly  and  distribute  free  of  charge  a  bulletin 
devoted  to  the  relation  of  the  works  done  and  the  useful  knowl- 
edge acquired  relative  to  agricultural  and  rural  industrial  sub- 
jects, and  especially  the  results  obtained  as  to  the  most  practical 
and  economic  method  of  cultivating  the  trees  that  produce  rub- 
ber, and  the  most  profitable  subsidiary  plants,  as  well  as  the  best 
methods  of  the  treatment,  conservation  and  packing  of  the 
products. 

Art.  18.  There  shall  be  admitted  to  the  experimental 
stations,  persons  who  wish  to  gain  a  practical  knowledge  in  any 
of  the  sections,  at  the  discretion  of  the  Director,  who  shall  fix 
the  number  of  students  in  agreement  with  the  chief  of  the  re- 
spective section. 

Sole  Paragraph.  On  equal  terms,  apprentices  between  15 
and  18  years  of  age,  shall  be  admitted,  the  numbers  to  be 
determined  by  the  respective  Director,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Minister,  who  shall  have  daily  tasks  corresponding  to  their 
capacity  and  aptitude.  The  Director  in  the  name  of  the  Minister 
shall  give  a  certificate,  on  which  shall  be  indicated  the  work  that 
has  been  done,  to  all  those  who  have  completed  their  appren- 
ticeship. 


Art.  19.  The  plan  of  each  station  shall  be  organized  to  meet 
the  peculiar  necessities  of  the  zone  in  which  it  may  be  estab- 
lished, conserving,  however,  the  principal  fundamentals  already 
set  forth. 

Art.  20.  The  position  of  Director  shall  be  held  by  a  person 
who  is  a  specialist  in  any  one  of  the  technical  sections,  and  at  the 
same  time  shall  be  its  chief,  an  indispensable  condition  being  that 
in  addition  to  his  technical  knowledge  he  shall  have  had  a  prac- 
tical apprenticeship. 

Art.  21.  The  technical  positions  may  be  filled,  by  contract, 
by  native  or  foreign  professors  of  established  ability. 

Art.  22.  To  each  of  the  stations  there  shall  be  sent  a  special 
regulation  determining  for  them  their  proportions  according  to 
the  necessities  of  the  case,  fixing  the  term~and  salaries  of  their 
respective  personnel  and  providing  for  the  special  necessities 
to  come. 

TITLE  II 

The  creation  of  the  Refining  and  Manufacturing  Rubber 
Industries 

ONLY  CHAPTER 

Art.  23.  The  first  factory  for  the  refining  of  seringa  rubber 
that  shall  be  established  in  each  of  the  cities  of  Belem  (Para) 
and  Manaos,  and  of  manigoba  and  mangabeira  rubber  which 
shall  be  established  in  the  States  of  Piauhy,  Ceara,  Rio  Grande 
do  Norte,  Pernambuco,  Bahia,  Minas  Geraes  and  S.  Paulo,  as 
well  as  the  first  factory  of  rubber  articles  which  shall  be  estab- 
lished in  Manaos,  in  Belem,  in  Recife  (Pernambuco)  in  Bahia, 
and  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  there  shall  be  conceded  the  following 
premiums  and  favors : 

(a)  Up  to  400,000  milreis  in  money  to  the  plants  for  the  re- 
fining of  seringa  rubber; 

Up  to  100,000  milreis  in  money  to  the  plants  for  the  refin- 
ing of  manigoba  and  mangabeira  rubber ; 

Up  to  500,000  milreis  in  money  for  plants  for  manufacturing 
rubber  articles. 

(b)  Exemption  from  import  duties,  including  fees  in  the 
manner  and  by  the  processes  described  in  Articles  3  and  91 
combined,  as  the  case  may  require,  for  all  material,  machines, 
utensils  and  hardware  necessary  for  the  construction  and  com- 
plete equipment  of  the  factory,  as  well  as  all  chemical  sub- 
stances, cloth  and  different  materials,  combustibles  and  lubri- 
cants necessary  for  the  working  and  maintenance  of  the  factory, 
during  a  period  of  25  years. 

77 


(c)  The  right  of  appropriation  for  public  use,  according  to 
the  legislation  in  force,  of  the  lands  and  improvements  belong- 
ing to  individuals  that  may  be  judged  appropriate  and  necessary 
for  the  equipment  of  the  factory  and  its  dependencies. 

(d)  A  preference  given  by  the  Government  for  the  purchase 
of  the  products  used  in  the  service  of  the  Army  and  Navy  and 
the  federal  public  departments,  which  shall  be  manufactured  by 
the  factories,  when  they  can  compete  in  quality  with  similar 
foreign  articles — the  contract  for  furnishing  the  same,  adjudi- 
cated every  3  years  with  each  factory,  for  those  of  their  products 
which  were  classified  in  the  first  place  in  the  expositions  men- 
tioned in  Article  95. 

(e)  Exemption  from  all  State  and  Municipal  duties  for  the 
same  time  as  in  letter  b,  because  the  factory  is  considered  to  be 
of  service  to  the  Government. 

Art.  24.  In  order  to  claim  these  favors  any  company  or 
organization  that  expects  to  erect  one  or  more  factories,  should 
conform  to  the  following  formalities  and  conditions : 

1.  Present  to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  a  previous  request 
accompained  by  the  following  documents : 

(a)  General  and  detailed  plan  of  the  factories ; 

(b)  An  estimate  of  the  expenses  for  the  first  establishment ; 

(c)  A  descriptive  memorandum  in  which  the  capacity  of 
production  of  the  factory  is  declared  the  principal  articles  in- 
tended to  be  manufactured,  the  lowest  price  for  which  it  is  pro- 
posed to  wash  and  refine  rubber,  which  should  be  reduced,  for 
each  quality,  to  one  type  and  superior  for  exportation,  in  gen- 
eral giving  the  Government  all  the  information  that  will  help 
it  to  form  a  correct  opinion  as  to  the  nature  and  importance 
of  the  projected  establishment; 

(d)  Certificates  and  references  which  will  prove  the  com- 
plete professional  and  financial  ability  of  the  suitor. 

2.  To  obligate  himself  in  the  contract  made  with  the 
Minister  of  Agriculture,  the  clause  of  reversion  at  the  end  of 
the  combined  term. 

3.  To  allow  the  official  appointed  by  the  Government  for 
the  fiscalization,  to  visit  the  works  during  the  period  of  construc- 
tion, for  the  purpose  of  verifying  the  actual  amount  of  expenses 
incurred  for  the  first  establishment  and  determining  the  value 
of  the  pecuniary  premium,  which  shall  be  in  any  of  the  three 
cases,  equal  to  a  fourth  part  of  the  expense,  not  exceeding  the 
limits  fixed  in  letter  a  of  Article  23,  as  well  as  to  visit  the  estab- 
lishment when  he  desires  after  it  begins  work,  in  order  that  he 
may  be  sure,  that  the  materials  imported  free  of  duty  are  effec- 
tively and  exclusively  used  in  the  products  of  the  factory. 

78 


4.  To  send  annually  to  the  Minister,  through  the  said  fiscal 
a  prepared  statement  in  which  shall  be  specified: 

(a)  The  amount  and  quality  and  the  place  where  produced 
of  the  rubber  used  as  raw  material; 

(b)  The  kind  and  quantity  and  value  of  the  products  of  the 
factory  used  at  home  and  exported ; 

(c)  The  number  of  employes,  native  and  foreign,  effectively 
in  service  during  the  year,  with  specification  of  their  respective 
classes. 

Art.  25.  The  premium  in  money  shall  be  paid,  as  soon  as 
the  factory  is  inaugurated,  at  the  National  Treasury  or  at  the 
Delegacia  Fiscal  of  the  State  in  which  it  is  situated,  when  autho- 
rized by  the  Minister  of  Agriculture. 


TITLE  III 

Assistance  to  immigrants,  native  or  recently  arrived  foreigners 
and  laborers  already  established  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon. 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Lodges  for  immigrants  in  Belem,  Manaos  and  the  Territory 

of  Acre 

Art.  26.  The  lodges  for  immigrants  in  Belem,  Manaos  and 
the  Territory  of  Acre,  shall  be  establishments  installed  and 
maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  Union,  intended  to  entertain 
immigrants,  native  and  foreign,  who  arrive  at  those  ports  volun- 
tarily or  with  their  passage  paid  by  the  Union  or  by  the  States. 

Art.  27.  The  lodges  at  Belem  shall  have  the  capacity  of 
caring  for  at  least  1,500,  that  at  Manaos  1,200  and  that  at  Acre 
800  immigrants. 

Art.  28.  The  plan  of  the  respective  buildings  and  the  dif- 
ferent installations  of  the  lodges  shall  conform  rigorously  to 
the  conditions  required  by  the  climate  of  that  region  and  fitted 
for  the  special  necessities  of  service  for  which  they  are  intended. 

Art.  29.     The  construction  shall  be  made  by  a  public  bidding. 

Sole  Paragraph.  If  the  first  public  bidding  is  not  satisfac- 
tory, the  Government  can  order  the  projected  lodge  built  by  the 
Administration. 

Art.  30.  Annexed  to  each  lodge  there  shall  be  an  appro- 
priate building,  in  which  there  shall  be  a  special  receiver  of  cus- 
toms for  the  implements  of  workmen  employed  in  agricultural 
and  extractive  industries,  and  indispensable  for  the  carrying  on 

79 


of  their  work  these  implements  to  be  sold  strictly  at  cost  price 
to  those  immigrants  who  desire  to  buy  for  their  personal  use. 

To  those  native  immigrants  who  during  the  times  of  drought 
in  the  States  of  the  northwest  and  going  from  there,  may  arrive 
at  the  lodges  without  resources,  shall  be  furnished  free,  by 
authority  of  the  Minister,  with  the  implements  indispensable 
for  work. 

Art.  31.  The  families  of  native  and  foreign  immigrants  ar- 
riving at  the  lodges  of  Belem  and  Manaos,  who  do  not  expressly 
declare  they  prefer  another  destination,  shall  be  transported  at 
the  expense  of  the  Union  or  the  lesee  to  the  national  plantations 
of  Rio  Branco,  where  according  to  their  aptitude  and  ability, 
they  shall  be  settled  in  colonies,  founded  by  this  one  or  that  one. 

Art.  32.  At  the  inauguration  of  each  lodge,  there  shall  be 
applied,  with  the  modifications  required  by  the  special  conditions 
of  each  case,  the  regulations  of  the  lodge  on  the  island  of  Flores. 

CHAPTER  II 

Hospitals  in  the  Interior 

Art.  33.  For  the  purpose  of  reducing  the  distances  and  the 
time  of  the  journey  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  interior  in  the 
valley  of  the  Amazon,  who  must  find  a  centre  of  supplies  where 
they  can  be  treated  when  sick,  or  provide  excellent  medicines 
for  their  domestic  ills;  of  proportioning  to  all  who  may  desire 
means  of  immuning  themselves  against  contagious  diseases, 
and  of  creating  a  propoganda  service  of  the  hygienic  habits  and 
practices  necessary  for  everyone  who  must  live  and  work  in  the 
Amazon  regions,  there  shall  be  built  a  hospital  surrounded  by  a 
small  agricultural  colony  in  Boa  Vista  do  Rio  Branco ;  S.  Gabriel 
do  Rio  Negro;  Teffe  or  Fonte  Boa  on  the  River  Solimoes;  S. 
Fillippe,  on  the  River  Jurua ;  Bocca  do  Acre,  on  the  River  Purus ; 
at  the  confluence  of  the  Rivers  Arinos  and  Juruena;  on  the  Alto 
Tapajoz;  Conceicjio  on  the  River  Araguaya  and  Montenegro 
on  the  Ampa. 

Art.  34.  The  hospitals  shall  be  built  in  places  that  have  the 
following  requisites : 

1.  To  have  a  plain  of  low  elevation,  conveniently  ventilated 
for  the  construction  of  the  hospital  buildings  socalled  and  its 
dependencies,  and  houses  of  residence  for  the  personnel. 

2.  Existence  around  or  close  to  the  plain  of  dry  lands,  pro- 
vided with  good  and  abundant  water,  which  serve  for  agricul- 
ture and  cattle  raising  and  of  sufficient  area  for  the  founding 
of  an  agricultural  community  of  at  least  100  families. 

3.  Facility  for  the  establishment  of  rapid  communication 
with  a  fluvial  j>ort,  or  one  that  must  serve  them. 

80 


Art.  35.  Each  hospital  shall  have  a  capacity  for  100  sick 
persons. 

Art.  36  Each  hospital  shall  possess  the  following  in- 
stallations: 

(a)  Five  separate  pavilions,  each  for  20  sick,  each  sick  per- 
son having  5  cubic  metres  and  an  area  of  12  square  metres. 

One  of  the  pavilions  should  be  installed  with  the  necessary- 
requisites  for  the  isolation  of  infectious  diseases;  for  this  purpose 
it  should  be  divided  into  rooms  for  isolation,  independent  and 
easily  disinfected,  with  the  proper  sanitary  apparatus. 

All  the  hospital  buildings  should  have  the  windows  protected 
by  wire  screening  whose  openings  should  never  exceed  V/z 
millimeter  and  the  doors  provided  with : 

(b)  A  disinfectory  provided  with  an  'apparatus  to  disin- 
fect in  boiling  lye  and  a  stove  for  sterilization  by  the  combined 
action  of  heat,  vacuum  and  formal.  Annexed  to  the  disinfectory 
shall  be  the  laundry. 

(c)  A  laboratory  for  the  diagnostic  clinics  and  microbiology. 

(d)  Surgicial  operating  room. 

(e)  Clinic  consulting  room. 

(f)  Room  for  autopsies. 

(g)  Pharmacy. 

(h)  Sanitary  installation,  in  which  should  terminate  all  the 
drainage  pipes  of  the  hospital,  destined  for  the  bacteriological 
treatment  of  the  water  used,  which  not  until  after  this  operation 
must  be  allowed  to  flow  into  the  natural  river  courses. 

(i)  Dependencies  for  the  administration  and  quarters  of  the 
personnel. 

Art.  37.  In  each  hospital  there  shall  be  made  in  the  respec- 
tive pharmaceutical  laboratory  a  preliminary  study  of  all  the 
remedies  used  by  the  people  of  that  region  to  determine  which 
are  prejudicial  and  which  inoffensive.  The  respective  Director 
shall  show  the  people  in  printed  circulars,  frequently  and  pro- 
fusely distributed  that  their  use  is  improper.  Those  which  are 
found  efficacious  and  susceptible  of  improvement,  shall  be  sent 
for  more  complete  studies  in  the  chemical  laboratories  and 
federal  pharmacies,  letting  the  people  know  the  results  obtained. 

Art.  38.  When  the  installation  of  each  hospital  is  complete,  a 
contract  shall  be  made,  by  public  bidding,  or  independent  of  it, 
as  the  Government  may  think  best,  with  some  professional  of 
recognized  ability,  the  direction  and  maintenance  of  the  respec- 
tive services,  the  contract  including  the  following  obligations : 

1.  The  reservation  of  one  hour  daily  in  the  medical  con- 
sultation room,  where  the  sick  known  to  be  without  means  may 
freely  receive  examination  and  be  furnished  with  the  necessary 
medicines. 

81 


2.  The  maintenance  of  a  bureau  for  vaccination  against 
smallpox  and  other  contageous  diseases  by  means  considered 
efficacious,  and  to  attend  gratuitously  to  all  who  may  wish  it. 

3.  To  submit  for  the  approval  of  the  Government  the 
regimen  internal  of  the  establishment  and  a  table  of  prices  for 
the  treatment  of  the  sick,  which  should  be  revised  every  3  years. 

4.  To  expose  for  sale  in  the  pharmacy  only  medicines  of 
the  best  quality,  especially  sulphate  of  quinine  and  such  other 
preparations,  under  penalty  of  having  destroyed  all  drugs  known 
to  be  impure  in  addition  to  the  fine  to  suit  the  case  that  may  be 
fixed  in  the  contract. 

5.  To  give  a  bond  in  money,  or  policies  of  the  public 
federal  debt  that  will  guarantee  the  good  conservation  of  the 
establishment  during  the  time  of  the  contract. 

6.  To  distribute  abundantly  every'  six  months  leaflets  con- 
taining advice  about  hygiene  prevention  of  the  sicknesses  of 
that  region,  showing  in  clear  language,  within  the  reach  of  all, 
those  that  are  improper  and  the  danger  in  the  use  of  alcoholic 
drinks,  and  teaching  what  measures  to  take  and  the  common 
remedies  which  should  be  applied  in  different  cases  when  there 
is  no  physician  to  be  had. 

7.  To  be  subject  to  the  inspection  of  the  Government  which 
should  be  very  minute  and  severe  as  to  the  condition  of  cleanli- 
ness and  conservation  of  the  establishment,  the  quality  of  the 
medicines  employed  and  sold  to  the  public  and  the  care  with 
which  the  sick  are  treated. 

Art.  39.  The  hospitals  and  all  their  dependencies  and 
sections  are  not  subject  to  any  duties  to  the  state  or  munici- 
pality, being  the  property  of  the  Union  and  doing  a  federal  pub- 
lic service. 

Art.  40.  To  each  hospital  there  shall  be  given  an  annual 
pecuniary  subvention,  proportioned  to  the  services  to  which  it 
will  have  to  attend,  until  the  income  of  the  establishment  and 
all  its  dependencies  derive  a  profit  of  10  per  cent,  during  3  con- 
secutive years  on  the  respective  capital  invested,  which  amount 
shall  be  acknowledged  and  previously  approved  by  the  Govern- 
ment. 

CHAPTER  III 

The  agricultural  nucleuses  adjacent  to  the  hospitals 

Art.  41.  The  agricultural  nucleuses  adjacent  to  the  interior 
hospital  shall  be  founded  by  the  Union  for  the  following  pur- 
poses : 

1.  The  production  of  foodstuffs  necessary  for  the  support  of 
the  said  hospitals. 


2.  The  intensive  culture  and  breeding  of  the  plants  and 
animals  of  alimentation  generally  consumed  by  the  neighboring 
population. 

3.  The  constituting  of  fixed  centres  of  population  economi- 
cally equipped,  which  will  serve  as  a  point  of  parting  for  colonies 
of  greater  importance,  capable  of  gradually  attending  to  the 
necessities  that  the  growing  population  of  that  region  may  be 
creating. 

Art.  42.  The  preliminary  studies,  the  plan,  the  preparatory 
work  and  the  different  installations  necessary  for  the  founding 
of  each  nucleus  as  well  as  the  colonization  of  the  lots,  and  their 
administration  in  general,  shall  be  done  in  accordance  with  dis- 
positions of  decree  number  9,081,  Nov.  3,  and  number  9,214, 
Dec.  15,  1911,  observing  the  following  alterations: 

1.  The  selling  price  of  rural  and  urban  lots  shall  be  cal- 
culated on  the  prices  established  in  the  land  laws  of  the  States 
of  Para  and  Amazonas,  as  a  base,  applicable  to  the  nucleuses 
situated  respectively  in  each  state : 

2.  In  failure  of  remunerating  work,  or  when  there  is  in- 
sufficient, the  judge  of  the  administration,  to  maintain  numerous 
families,  shall  furnish  them  food,  charging  the  same  to  the 
heads  of  the  families,  calculating  this  furnishing  at  the  rate  of 
from  2  milreis  to  3  milreis  daily  at  the  highest,  for  adults  and 
those  over  7  years  of  age,  and  one  half  this  for  those  between 
the  age  of  7  to  3  years. 

Art.  43.  The  indians  and  native  workers  localized  in  the 
agricultural  nucleuses  shall  participate  in  the  advantages  and 
obligations  contained  in  decree  number  9,214,  Dec.  15,  1911. 

Art.  44.  Having  finished  the  preparatory  work  for  each 
nucleus,  the  lots  first  colonized  shall  be  those  devoted  to  the 
production  of  the  foods  necessary  for  the  support  of  the  hospital 
which  is  in  their  neighborhood,  so  that  it  can  count  on,  from 
the  time  of  its  inauguration,  a  regular  and  sufficient  supply  of 
these  commodities. 


S3 


TITLE  IV 

Improvements  and  measures  tending  to  facilitate  transportation 
and  decrease  its  cost  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon 

CHAPTER  I 

Lines  of  railroad  transportation 

Art.  45.  There  shall  be  constructed  in  the  valley  of  the 
Amazon  lines  of  railroad  transportation  of  two  classes : 

1.  Large  lines  of  transportation,  making  an  integral  part 
of  the  general  line  of  Federal  railroads,  with  identical  character- 
istics and  comprising  the  same  principles. 

2.  Economic  lines  of  transportation,  of  reduced  gauge,  pro- 
visionally established  for  easy  ways  of  penetration,  whatever 
may  be  their  development,  sufficient  to  facilitate  access  to  and 
permit  the  exploration  of  the  virgen  seringas  and  the  good  lands 
for  cultivation  situated  on  the  upper  banks  of  the  Rivers  Xingu, 
Tapajoz,  Branco,  Negro,  and  others  situated  in  the  States  of 
Para,  Matto-Grosso  and  Amazonas. 

Art.  40.  Those  lines  belonging  to  the  first  class  shall  be 
immediately  begun  and  constructed  as  quickly  as  possible,  the 
following: 

1.  Parting  from  the  Port  of  Belem  (Para)  and  joining  the 
general  line  of  railroad  in  Pirapora,  in  the  State  of  Minas 
Geraes  and  in  Coroata,  in  the  State  of  Maranbao,  with  the 
necessary  branches  to  unite  the  initial  points  or  terminals  of 
navigation  on  the  Rivers  Arguaya,  Tocantins,  Parnaluyba,  and 
S.  Francisco. 

2.  Beginning  at  a  convenient  point  chosen  on  the  Madeira- 
Marmore  railroad,  near  the  mouth  of  the  River  Abuna,  passing 
by  the  Villa  Rio  Branco,  and  the  point  most  appropriate  be- 
tween Senna  Medureira  and  Catay  and  terminating  in  Villa 
Thaumaturgo,  with  a  branch  to  the  frontier  of  Peru  by  the 
valley  of  the  River  Purus. 

Art.  47.  The  rules  for  the  construction  of  these  lines  is 
prescribed  by  law,  number  1,126,  Dec.  15,  1903,  and  both  shall 
be  let  at  public  bidding. 

Art.  48.  The  Minister  of  Transportation  is  to  command  the 
studies  to  be  made,  to  contract  for  the  construction  and  in- 
spect the  traffic  of  these  roads,  but  he  will  furnish  the  Minister 
of  Agriculture  a  copy  of  the  plans  relative  to  the  route  and  give 
descriptive  memoranda  of  the  project,  and  when  drawing  up  the 
papers  for  the  bidding,  shall  include  the  clauses  which  he  shall 
judge  necessary  and  opportune  for  the  colonization  of  the  bor- 
dering lands  and  the  development  of  the  industries  of  the  zone 

84 


tributary  to  the  line  as  well  as  to  attend  to  the  eventual  neces- 
sities of  the  commerce. 

Art.  49.  The  construction  and  the  concession  for  construc- 
tion of  the  roads  of  the  second  class  may  be  made  by  the  Union 
or  by  the  States  interested. 

Art.  50.  The  Minister  of  Agriculture  is  the  proper  person 
to  construct  or  permit  the  construction  of  those  Government 
resolves  to  carry  into  effect  at  the  account  of  the  Union,  as  well 
as  to  authorize  the  payment  of  the  subvention  of  15,000  mibreis 
per  kilometer  to  those  which  were  contracted  for  by  the  States. 

Art.  51.  The  technical  conditions  of  the  railroads  of  which 
Art.  45.  treats  in  the  second  part,  are  the  following: 

A  portable  line  of  the  Decauville  type.    _ 

Weight  of  the  rails,  15  kilos  per  metre. 

Gauge  0,60  cm  between  the  rails,  least  radius  of  curvature 
40  M.  O. 

Greatest  incline  OmOlO. 

Weight  of  locomotives  18  to  20  tons. 

Art.  52.  The  concessions  for  these  roads  shall  be  let  at  a 
public  bidding  according  to  the  rule  established  in  law  number 
1 ,126  of  1903,  or  independently  of  bidding  with  a  person  or  cor- 
poration sufficiently  able  with  the  help  of  the  payment  of  the 
maximum  subvention  of  25  contos  per  kilometer,  according  to 
the  difficulties  of  the  land  it  passes  through,  paid  by  sections  of 
not  less  than  30  kilometers,  completely  ready  and  furnished  with 
the  necessary  rolling  stock,  within  90  days  of  the  date  of  the 
respective  inaugurations. 

Art.  53.  The  concession  for  these  railroads  cannot  be  given 
to  those  who  agree  to  build  then  simply  as  transportation  en- 
terprises, but  only  to  those  who  will  obligate  themselves  to 
colonize  and  explore,  in  proportion  as  they  may  be  justified,  the 
respective  marginal  lands. 

It  is  an  essential  condition  for  the  validity  of  the  conces- 
sion, that  the  contractor  presents  to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture 
within  the  maximum  term  of  one  year,  proof  that  he  has  dis- 
posed of  the  lands  for  colonization,  and  a  descriptive  memo- 
randum of  the  character  and  extent  of  the  industries  he  intends 
to  develop. 

Art.  54.  Those  railroads  of  this  type  which  in  the  future 
may  be  joined  to  any  general  line  of  transportation,  shall  be 
obliged  as  soon  as  its  gross  earnings  amount  to  10,000  mibreis 
per  kilometer,  to  make  its  gauge  conform  to  the  same,  and  from 
then  for  all  purposes  becoming  a  part  of  the  general  federal 
transportation  system. 

Independently  of  being  joined  to  any  railroad  in  general, 
these  economical  railroads  shall  pass  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 

85 


Minister  of  Transportation  and  Public  Works  and  shall  be 
obliged  to  enlarge  their  gauge  to  1  meter,  without  other  favors 
from  the  Government,  there  not  being  a  supplementary  term 
of  the  contract,  if  it  is  wanting  for  its  termination  in  less  than 
60  years,  when  the  gross  receipts  have  reached  15,000  mibreis 
per  kilometer  during  3  successive  years.  Before  this  the  rail- 
road may  pass  to  the  Minister  of  Tranportation  and  the  gauge 
be  widened,  on  his  own  account,  when  he  shall  think  it  to  his 
interest,  or  by  a  new  contract,  when  the  Government  thinks  it 
necessary  to  have  it  done  for  the  necessities  of  the  administra- 
tion or  the  defense  of  the  country. 

Art.  55.  In  addition  to  the  subvention  per  kilometer,  there 
shall  be  given  to  these  railroads  all  the  indirect  favors  received 
by  the  other  railroads  of  the  country. 

Art.  56.  The  maximum  term  for  a  concession  shall  be  90 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  the  railroad  will  revert  to  the  control 
of  the  Union. 

Art.  57.  Under  the  right  of  experiment,  the  Government 
shall  promote  at  once  the  following  lines  of  economical  rail- 
roads : 

1.  Parting  from  "Autiga  Souzel,"  or  other  point  more  con- 
venient on  the  left  bank  of  the  Xingu  and  ascending  the  left 
side  of  the  valley  to  the  margin  of  the  River  Cariahy,  with  a 
branch  which  parting  at  a  convenient  point,  shall  go  to  the 
Tapajoz  and  ascend  the  right  hand  side  of  the  valley  until  it 
reaches  the  S.  Manoel  which  may  appear  advantageous,  ascend- 
ing the  secondary  valley  and  continuing  to  the  dividing  of  the 
waters  of  the  two  principal  rivers. 

2.  Parting  from  the  confluence  of  the  River  Negro  with  the 
Branco  and  by  the  valley  of  the  River  Seruiny,  gaining  the  right 
side  of  the  valley  by  the  Caratimani  river  and  continuing  to  the 
upper  Uraricaera,  with  a  branch  parting  at  a  convenient  point 
at  the  request  of  the  upper  Paduiry  and  a  branch  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Villa  Boa  Vista. 

CHAPTER  II 

Improvements  for  the  navigation  of  the  Rivers  Branco,  Negro, 

Purus  and  Acre 

Art.  58.  The  improvements  necessary  for  effective  naviga- 
tion at  any  season  of  the  year,  for  steamers  drawing  3  feet,  on 
the  River  Negro,  between  Santa  Izabel  and  Cucuhy,  on  the 
River  Branco,  from  its  mouth  to  Sao  Joaquin,  on  the  River 
Purus,  between  Hyutanha  and  Senna  Madureira,  and  on  the 
River  Acre,  from  its  mouth  to  Riosinho  de  Pedros,  shall  be  con- 
tracted for  by  public  bidding,  or  independently  of  bidding,  with 

86 


corporations  sufficiently  able,  under  the  rule  established  by 
decree,  number  6,368,  Feb.  14,  1907  or  others  which  may  not 
be  more  onerous  and  may  permit  the  assurance  of  the  opening 
of  navigation  more  rapidly  on  the  sections  of  the  rivers  to  be 
improved. 

Art.  59.  In  none  of  the  contracts  shall  a  longer  term  than 
7  years  be  granted  the  contracting  party,  to  count  from  the  date 
of  its  signing,  so  that  safe  and  free  passage  is  given  steamers 
drawing  3  feet  in  the  entire  distance  of  the  contract. 

Art.  60.  The  improvements  in  the  Rio  Branco,  shall  com- 
mence with  the  destruction  and  regulating  of  the  Cujubim 
rapid,  so  that  from  now  on  navigation  is  assured  during  the 
Winter  to  Villa  Boa  Vista. 

Art.  61.  The  studies,  plans,  constructions,  inspection  and 
direct  conservation  of  these  works  are  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Minister  of  Transportation ;  but  before  the  respective  con- 
tract is  signed,  copies  of  the  plans  and  descriptive  memorandum 
referring  to  the  project  shall  be  furnished  the  Minister  of  Agri- 
culture, so  that  he  may  be  heard  upon  the  opportunity  and  the 
order  in  which  these  works  shall  be  executed,  in  the  interest  of 
the  economic  development  of  the  region,  and  that  they  may  be 
conveniently  attended  by  those  casually  interested  in  the  coloni- 
zation and  development  of  the  industries  along  the  banks  of  the 
rivers,  or  in  commerce  in  general. 

In  case  it  is  found  that  the  destruction  and  regulation  of  the 
Culubim  rapid  cannot  be  done  during  one  season  of  low  water 
in  the  river,  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  by  agreement  with  the 
State  of  Amazonas,  can  order  to  be  constructed  a  Decauville 
line  of  the  type  described  in  articles  45,  second  part  and  51, 
in  the  belt  line  constructed  by  that  State  along  waterfalls,  so 
that  the  leasing  and  colonization  of  the  national  plantations  of 
Rio  Branco  is  no  longer  delayed. 

CHAPTER  III 

Complementary  measures 

Art.  62.  All  vessels  of  every  kind  intended  for  the  fluvial 
navigation  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon  are  free  of  all  import 
duties,  including  the  fees.  This  exemption  shall  be  given  by  the 
custom  houses  of  Belem  (Para)  and  Manaos,  through  a  requi- 
sition to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  which  the  importer  shall 
have  asked  for,  declaring  in  his  request  the  number,  class  and 
tonnage,  the  draft  and  the  cost  and  the  purpose  of  each  vessel. 

Art.  63.  The  vessel  imported  under  this  favor,  if  sold  out- 
side the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  or  even  within  it,  to  a  foreign 

87 


country,  shall  pay  the  proper  duties  according  to  the  law  of  the 
budget  in  force  in  the  year  of  its  importation. 

Art.  64.  Deposits  of  coal  shall  be  established  for  supplying 
the  steamers  which  navigate  the  Amazon  rivers,  and  for  others 
who  care  to  use  them,  in  the  following  places,  or  in  others  which 
be  shown  to  be  more  convenient:  Belem  (Para),  Cameta,  Breves, 
Chaves,  Mazagao,  Gurupa,  Souzel,  Prainha,  Sautarem,  Ponta 
Nova  Brasileira,  Obidos,  Parintius,  Itacoatiara,  Manaos, 
Carvoeiro,  Moreira,  Santa  Izabel  do  Rio  Negro,  Carmo  do  Rio 
Branco,  Caracarahy,  Boca  do  Canuma,  Baetas,  Boca  do  Rio 
Machado,  Boca  do  Purus,  Campina,  Nova  Olinda,  Canutama, 
Cachoeira  de  Hyutanahan,  Boca  do  Pauhiny,  Boca  do  Acre, 
Rio  Branco,  Seuna  Madureira,  Coary,  Teffe,  Boca  do  Jurua, 
Juruapeca,  Mearary,  Boca  do  Tarauaca,  Cruzeiro  do  Sul,  Boca  do 
Jutahy,  S.  Paulo  de  Olivenga,  Benjamin  Constant  and  Santo 
Antonio  de  Maripi. 

Art.  65.  There  shall  be  floating  deposits,  so  that  they  can 
be  moved  from  one  place  to  another,  as  the  giowth  of  navigation 
in  this  or  that  place  may  require ;  they  shall  have  sufficient 
capacity  for  the  movement  of  steamers  at  the  station  they  are 
serving  and  passes  modern  apparatus  for  discharging  the  coal, 
which  will  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  raising  of  dust,  and  load 
the  steamers  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Art.  66.  At  points  where  it  may  be  thought  necessary,  the 
deposits  shall  be  provided  with  tanks  for  fuel  oil,  which  can  be 
placed  on  the  platform  with  coal,  or  on  separate  floating 
platforms. 

Art.  67.  The  establishment  of  the  deposits  and  the  business 
of  furnishing  fuel  to  the  steamers,  shall  be  by  contract  after  a 
public  bidding  and  signed  by  the  Minister  of  Agriculture. 

Art.  68.  The  floating  material  for  the  depositories  and 
the  fuel  imported  shall  be  free  of  all  import  duties,  including 
the  fees. 

The  fees  in  the  custom  houses  shall  be  ordered  through  a 
requisition  from  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  from  whom  the 
contracting  party  shall  ask  it,  for  each  shipment,  with  the  nec- 
essary data. 

Art.  69.  The  fuel  imported  by  the  corporation  can  only  be 
sold  for  river  navigation  service. 

Art.  70.  The  maximum  prices  at  which  the  party  can  sell 
fuel  to  steamers,  shall  be  according  to  tables  approved  annually 
by  the  Minister.  These  may  be  altered  during  the  year,  when 
so  necessary  in  the  opinion  of  the  Government. 

Art.  71.  The  contracting  party  shall  not  be  subject  to  pay- 
ment of  any  state  or  municipal  duties,  because  the  object  is  the 
public  federal  service. 

88 


Art.  72.  In  places  where  the  party  has  and  the  Government 
has  not  deposits  of  fuel,  to  him  shall  be  given  the  preference  for 
furnishing  the  quantity  necessary  for  the  national  vessels  of  war, 
at  the  prices  received  when  supplying  the  vessels  of  individuals. 

Art.  73.  In  extraordinary  circumstances  and  at  the  requi- 
sition of  the  Government,  the  contracting  party  shall  place  at 
its  disposition  all  the  deposits  of  fuel  on  hand,  being  afterwards 
indemnified  for  a  part  or  all  of  the  fuel  delivered,  and  after- 
wards another  payment  of  the  value  of  the  deposits  unused, 
corresponding  to  the  profits  lost  during  the  time  of  the  interrup- 
tion of  his  business,  calculated  on  an  equal  period  of  the  preced- 
ing year. 

Art.  74.  The  bidding  for  the  contract  shall  be  upon  the 
terms  for  the  installation  of  the  depositories",  their  reversion  to 
the  Union  and  the  selling  price  of  fuel  for  the  first  year. 

TITLE  V 

The  creation  of  centres  producing  foodstuffs  in  the  valley 
of  the  Amazon 

CHAPTER  I 

The  leasing  of  the  national  plantations  of  Rio  Branco 

Art.  75.  The  Minister  of  Agriculture  can  contract  for  the 
leasing  of  the  two  national  plantations  S.  Bento  and  S.  Marcos, 
except  the  part  situated  between  the  Rivers  Mahu,  Takutu, 
Surumu  and  Cotingo,  by  public  bidding,  or  independent  of  it, 
with  a  corporation  or  party  sufficiently  able,  observing  the  fol- 
lowing dispositions  which  shall  be  explained  and  assured  in  the 
clauses  of  the  detailed  contracts. 

1.     The  party  will  be  obliged  to : 

(a)  Develop  and  practice  on  a  large  scale,  by  the  best  and 
most  modern  methods  the  breeding  of  cattle  of  different  kinds 
and  the  cultivation  of  the  usual  alimentary  cereals ; 

(b)  Establish  a  packing  house  for  the  preparation  of  dried 
beef  and  a  factory  for  the  canning  of  alimental  animal  and 
vegetable  products. 

(c)  Equip  a  factory  for  milk  products,  in  which  in  addition 
to  making  cheese  and  butter,  milk  shall  be  prepared  by  the 
Pasteur  system  or  some  other  that  may  be  better,  in  condition 
to  be  supplied  to  the  seringaes  and  estates  of  the  interior. 

(d)  Equip  a  central  mill  for  the  treatment  of  rice  and  other 
cereals  and  two  improved  factories  for  mandioca  flour,  as  soon 
as  the  number  of  colonies  localized  can  produce  a  sufficient 
supply  of  raw  material  for  such  establishment. 

89 


(e)  Receive  and  localize  the  immigrants  who  may  desire  to 
settle  on  the  lands  of  the  plantation,  in  accordance  with  the  dis- 
positions of  this  regulation  and  with  the  decrees  number  9,081, 
Nov.  3,  1911,  referring  to  the  peopling  of  the  soil,  and  number 
9,214,  Dec.  15,  1911,  referring  to  the  protection  of  the  Indians 
and  localization  of  native  laborers,  in  the  parts  that  may  be 
proper. 

(f)  Present  to  the  Minister  for  approval  the  plans  and 
descriptive  memorandum,  with  as  much  detail  as  possible,  of 
the  agricultural  nucleus  which  he  shall  be  obliged  to  establish 
and  all  the  installations  referring  to  the  factories  and  services 
necessary  for  the  complete  equipment  of  the  plantations,  within 
the  maximum  space  of  2  years,  to  count  from  the  signing  of  the 
contract. 

(g)  Be  subject  to  inspection  by  -the  Government  for  the 
faithful  execution  of  the  contract,  on  the  terms  therein 
established. 

Art.  76.  To  the  party  or  corporation  the  following  favors 
will  be  granted : 

(a)  Exemption  from  all  import  duties,  including  fees,  in 
the  form  and  by  the  process  referred  to  in  article  91,  for  all  the 
imported  material  necessary  to  complete  the  equipment  of  the 
plantations,  including  houses,  barns,  pastures,  fences,  reservoirs, 
implements  and  machines  for  the  culture,  harvesting  and  treat- 
ing the  cereals,  installation  of  mills  and  factories,  improved 
cattle,  seeds  of  alimentary  and  industrial  plants,  as  well  as  for 
the  materials  and  chemicals  necessary  to  maintain  the  factories 
and  husbandry,  during  the  time  of  his  contract. 

(b)  Right  of  condemnation  for  public  use,  of  the  property 
or  improvements  of  individuals,  which  may  be  necessary,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Government  for  any  of  the  services  of  the 
enterprise. 

(c)  All  the  favors  specified  in  articles  131  and  132  of  decree 
number  9,081,  Nov.  3,  1911,  native  and  foreign  colonies  being 
made  equal. 

(d)  Preference  for  the  contract  of  the  works  necessary  for 
the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  Rio  Branco,  if  the 
price  is  considered  acceptable  by  the  Government  and  the  time 
for  the  completion  of  the  work  not  more  than  6  years. 

Art.  77.  The  term  of  the  lease  in  the  contract  shall  be  60 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  all  the  cattle  for  breeding  and  all 
the  improvements  then  possessed  by  the  lessee  shall  revert  to  the 
dominion  of  the  Union. 

Art.  78.  Within  the  term  of  1  year,  to  date  from  the  signing 
of  the  contract,  the  Government  will  give  to  lessee  a  copy  of  the 
plans  of  the  plantations,   in  which   shall   be   marked   the   water 

90 


courses  with  a  specification  of  those  navigable,  the  zone  of 
forest  and  plain  and  the  situations  of  the  occupants  who  may 
be  found. 

Art.  79.  The  plantations  shall  be  turned  over  as  soon  as 
an  inventory  of  the  improvements,  and  the  number  of  cattle  of 
each  kind  then  on  the  plantation  can  be  made. 

CHAPTER  II 

The  colonization  of  the  plantation  of  S.  Marcos  situated  between 
the  Rivers  Mahu,  Takutu,  Surumu  and  Cotingo 

Art.  80.  The  colonization  of  the  lands  of  S.  Marcos'  planta- 
tion, situated  between  the  Rivers  Mahu,  Takutu  Surumu  and 
Cotingo,  on  the  frontier  of  British  Guiana  shall  be  done  directly 
by  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  who  shall  order,  without  delay, 
to  prepare  a  plan  with  the  necessary  details,  and  afterwards 
carry  them  out  as  they  may  be  necessary : 

(a)  A  town  of  the  aborigines ; 

(b)  An  agricultural  centre  ; 

(c)  A  colonial  nucleus; 

(d)  An  ambulant  course  of  agriculture; 

(e)  An  agricultural  apprenticeship; 

(f)  A  school  of  practical  agriculture ; 

(g)  An  experimental  station. 

Art.  81.  The  colonization  of  the  lands  whether  in  the  agri- 
cultural centre,  or  colonial  nucleus,  shall  be  made  so  that  each 
lot  occupied  by  a  foreign  colonist  corresponds  to  at  least  two 
occupied  by  families  of  native  colonists,  which  preferably  shall 
be  chosen  from  those  who  arrive  at  the  lodges  of  Belem  and 
Manaos,  proceeding  from  the  states  of  the  northwest. 

Art.  82.  Gradually  and  opportunely  there  shall  be  installed 
in  the  colony  lands,  mills  and  factories,  having  in  view  the  im- 
provement and  production  on  a  large  scale  of  cereals  and  other 
alimentary  foods. 

Art.  83.  In  an  appropriate  locality  there  shall  be  established 
a  model  plantation  for  the  breeding  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules, 
in  which  there  shall  be  made  a  comparative  study  of  the  native 
and  foreign  breeds,  which  best  resist  the  climate  of  that  region, 
to  verify  which  may  be  most  advantageously  improved  by  the 
method  of  selection,  crossing  and  formation  of  perfect  types. 

CHAPTER  III 

The  premiums  and  favors  to  those  who  intend  to  found  large 
plantations  of  agriculture  and  cattle  raising 

Art.  84.  To  large  plantations  of  agriculture  and  cattle  rais- 
ing that  may  be  founded,  one  in  the  Territory  of  Acre  (between 

91 


the  Rio  Branco  and  Xapury)  one  in  the  State  of  Amazonas  (in 
the  region  of  the  River  Autaz),  and  one  in  the  State  of  Para 
(on  the  island  of  Marajo,  or  other  point  more  convenient  on 
the  lower  Amazon),  the  federal  Government  will  grant  the  fol- 
lowing favors : 

(a)  Exemption  from  import  duties,  including  the  fees,  in 
the  form  and  by  the  process  described,  in  article  91,  for  all  the 
imported  material  necessary  to  complete  the  equipment  of  the 
plantation,  including  houses,  barns,  pastures,  fences,  reservoirs, 
implements  and  machines,  for  the  culture,  harvesting  and  trea- 
ment  of  cereals,  and  installation  of  factories  for  milk  products, 
the  preservation  of  meat,  as  well  as  for  cattle  and  seed  which 
are  imported,  within  the  first  5  years  after  the  installation  of  the 
plantation; 

(b)  Premiums  of  30,000  mibreis  for  groups  of  a  thousand 
hectores  of  pastures  artificially  planted  and  conveniently  fenced 
and  of  100,000  hectores  and  of  100,000  mibreis  for  groups  of  a 
thousand  hectores  of  land  improved  for  agriculture,  and  actually 
cultivated  with  rice,  beans,  corn  and  mandicaco ; 

(c)  Premium  of  100,000  milreis  paid  for  groups  of  500 
tons  of  foodstuffs  manufactured  from  milk,  and  canned  or  packed 
meat,  which  may  be  produced  in  5  years. 

Art.  85.  The  claimant  of  a  right  to  these  premiums  must 
make  a  previous  contract  with  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  in 
which  he  obligates  himself  to : 

1.  Present  within  one  year  a  plan  of  the  plantation,  in  which 
should  be  mentioned  the  river  port  that  would  serve  him,  the 
courses  of  the  rivers  which  wash  it,  with  a  specification  of  these 
navigable  for  steamers,  launches  or  only  for  canoes,  the  zones 
of  forest  and  plain,  accompained  by  the  plan  of  installation  to 
be  made,  a  descriptive  memorandum  of  the  services,  and  in- 
dustries that  he  intends  to  develop  and  a  detailed  relatorio,  in- 
dicating the  quality,  the  quantity  and  cost  of  the  materials 
necessary  to  import  for  the  first  year's  work. 

2.  Allow  the  plantation  and  all  its  dependencies  to  be  visited 
by  the  official  charged  with  the  inspection,  when  he  is  perform- 
ing his  duties,  to  verify  the  proper  use  of  the  objects  and  ma- 
terials imported  exempt  from  duties,  the  area,  the  state  and 
kind  of  culture  and  the  quantity,  class  and  quality  of  the  goods 
manufactured  and  destined  for  foodstuffs. 

Art.  86.  The  premiums  shall  be  paid  at  the  National 
Treasury  or  at  the  Delegacias  Fiscaes  in  Belem  and  Manaos,  by 
a  requisition  from  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  which  the  claim- 
ant must  ask,  attaching  to  his  request  the  certificate  of  the 
Government  inspector  that  all  the  dispositions  of  this  regulation 
have  been  faithfully  fulfilled,  and  a  statistical  table  of  the  work- 

92 


ers  employed  during  the  year  in  each  industry  and  the  amount 
of  the  annual  crop,  with  the  specification  of  the  quantity  of 
each  kind. 

Art.  87.  The  contractor  can  colonize  the  lands  of  the  planta- 
tion under  the  order  established  in  Chapter  XII  of  the  regulation 
under  the  decree,  number  9,081,  Nov.  3,  1911;  the  national 
colonists  coming  from  the  states  of  the  northwest  are  made 
equal  to  foreign  colonists,  for  the  purpose  of  the  premiums  of 
which  articles  132  and  133  treat  in  the  above  mentioned 
regulation. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Favors  to  a  fishing  corporation 

Art.  88.  The  Minister  of  Agriculture  shall  contract  with 
some  person,  syndicate  or  company,  offering  guarantees  of 
sufficient  ability,  for  the  establishment  of  a  fishing  enterprise, 
which  with  headquarters  in  Belem  (Para)  or  Manaos,  that  can 
be  conveniently  equipped  as  quickly  as  possible,  to  begin  this 
and  its  allied  industries,  on  a  large  scale  in  the  Amazon  rivers. 

Art.  89.     The  following  favors  shall  be  given  the  enterprise : 

(a)  Exemption  from  all  import  duties,  including  fees,  for 
the  vessels,  instruments  and  other  maritime  material;  for  all  the 
material  necessary  for  the  installation,  complete  equipping  and 
establishment  of  the  enterprise  on  conditions  which  would  en- 
able it  to  be  a  going  industry  in  all  its  phases,  as  well  as  the 
drugs,  ingredients,  cans  and  boxes,  or  materials  to  make  them, 
and  in  general  for  all  that  it  may  be  necessary  to  import  from 
abroad,  indispensable  to  the  maintenance  of  its  vessels  and  fac- 
tories, during  a  term  of  15  years,  to  count  from  the  date  of  its 
operations ; 

(b)  Premium  of  animation  m  money  to  the  amount  of 
10,000  mibreis  during  5  consecutive  years,  when  the  production 
of  preserved  and  salted  fish  shall  be  annually  more  than  100  tons ; 

(c)  The  right  of  condemnation  for  public  use,  of  the  lands 
and  improvements  belonging  to  individuals,  judged  appropriate 
and  indispensable  for  the  installation  of  any  of  the  establish- 
ments that  it  is  necessary  to  build  on  land ; 

(d)  Exemption  from  all  state  and  municipal  imports  because 
the  object  of  the  contract  is  for  the  federal  public  service. 

Art.  90.  All  the  property  of  the  enterprise  shall  revert  to  the 
Union,  at  the  end  of  the  term  for  which  the  contract  was  granted. 

Art.  91.  The  exemptions  from  duties  shall  be  given  by  the 
custom  houses  in  Belem  and  Manaos,  by  a  requisition  from  the 
Minister  of  Agriculture,  from  whom  it  shall  be  requested,  attach- 

93 


ing  to  the  request  a  memorandum  of  the  objects  with  specifica 
tion   of   the   qualities,    quantities   and   ends   for   which   they   are 
needed,  and  what  are  imported  for  the  services  of  the  first  estab- 
lishment, and  after  this  what  must  be  imported  for  its  mainte- 
nance. 

Art.  92.  The  enterprise  shall  be  subject  to  inspection  by  the 
Government  as  to  the  safety  of  the  steamers,  and  processes  em- 
ployed in  fishing-,  the  faithful  use  of  the  objects  imported,  the 
manufacture  of  preserving,  in  which  substances  hurtful  to  the 
public  health  shall  not  be  employed,  nor  in  the  annual  produc- 
tion of  preserved  or  salted  fish  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the 
premiums  in  money. 

Art.  93.  Specimens  of  fish  not  well  known,  the  party  shall 
send  one  properly  preserved  to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  ac- 
companied by  a  small  relatorio  describing  the  place  and  condi- 
tions under  which  it  was  caught  and  noting  anything  particular 
that  might  be  interesting  in  studying  it. 

Art.  94.  Every  commander  or  master  of  the  vessels  of  the 
enterprise,  shall  make  a  written  communication  to  the  directors 
for  them  to  bring  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Government,  the  places 
where  there  is  tlie  existence  of  any  obstacle  to  navigation,  indicat- 
ing the  position  in  a  good  sketch  of  that  stretch  of  the  river, 
describing  its  nature  and  the  route  to  be  followed  to  avoid  it. 
These  communications  shall  be  transmitted  to  the  Minister  of 
Transportation  in  order  that  he  may  place  a  signal  on  the  ob- 
stacle, and  as  soon  as  possible  remove  it. 


TITLE  VI 

The  Triennial  Expositions  Embracing  All  That  Relates  to  the 
National  Rubber  Industry 

Art.  95.  The  Rubber  Expositions  shall  be  held  in  Rio  de 
Janeiro  every  three  years,  the  first  being  on  May  13,  1913 ;  its 
object  shall  be  to  give  the  sum  of  the  triennial  movement  of  the 
national  rubber  industry  in  its  various  modifications,  compared 
with  the  industry  in  other  countries. 

Art.  96.  The  triennial  expositions  shall  include  the  rubber 
industry  in  all  its  branches  and  shall  include  the  following  classi- 
fications : 

1.  The  Culture. 

2.  The  Extraction. 

3.  The  Improvement. 

4.  The  Manufacture  of  Articles. 

The  classes  shall  be  subdivided  into  groups  including  native 

94 


and  cultivated  plants,  machinery,  utensils,  processes,  commercial 
type,  studies  and  statistics. 

Art.  97.  Premiums  of  encouragement  shall  be  given  for  the 
best  processes  of  culture,  extraction  and  treatment,  and  to  the 
best  manufactured  products,  whether  as  raw  material,  constitut- 
ing commercial  types  for  exportation,  or  as  to  manufacture. 

Art.  98.  The  Government  shall  opportunely  request  the  Na- 
tional Congress  for  the  necessary  enactments  to  make  these  prem- 
iums effective. 

Art.  99.  The  rubber  expositions  shall  be  true  expositions  held 
in  relation  to  the  machinery  and  utensils  and  products  of  rubber 
of  all  kinds,  but  the  sale  sought  to  be  registered  in  a  special 
book,  by  the  payment  of  a  fixed  percentage  to  the  organizing 
commission  which  shall  apply  this  income  -to  the  interests  of 
these  same  expositions. 

Art.  100.  Foreign  products  can  be  admitted  to  these  rubber 
expositions,  for  the  purpose  of  permitting  comparison  and  per- 
fecting the  national  industry  but  shall  receive  no  premium. 

Section  1.  Foreign  products  destined  for  the  rubber  exposi- 
tions shall  be  free  of  all  custom  house  duties,  as  established  in 
Law  No.  2,544,  January  4,  1912,  Article  89,  No.  6,  but  if  they  are 
sold,  shall  pay  their  respective  import  duties  when  given  to  the 
buyers. 

Sec.  2.  Foreign  products  not  sold  shall  be  re-exported  for  the 
account  of  the  respective  expositors. 

Art.  101.  The  transportation  of  the  national  products  destined 
for  the  rubber  expositions  shall  be  gratuitous. 

Art.  102.  For  these  expositions  there  shall  be  prepared 
bound  statistics  and  relatorios  especially  relative  to  the  former 
period  and  as  regards  the  rubber  industry  in  Brazil,  compared 
with  the  world  movement. 

Art.  103.     During  the  expositions  there  shall  be  held: 

1.  National  congresses  specializing  upon  the  rubber  industry. 

2.  Lectures  upon  subjects  previously  chosen  and  illustrated 
with  stereopticon  slides. 

For  the  carrying  out  of  what  is  ordered  in  this  article,  the 
organizing  commission  shall  provide  for  the  respective  programs 
and  other  measures  for  its  entire  success. 

Art.  104.  From  all  the  principle  products  exhibited  some 
specimens  shall  be  selected  to  constitute  a  permanent  exhibit, 
which  shall  remain  exhibited  in  the  Commercial  Museum  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  and  in  whose  care  shall  also  remain  some  reserves 
to  be  sent  to  similar  Museums  in  Brazil  and  in  foreign  lands. 


95 


TITLE  VII 

The  Direction  and  Inspection  of  the  Service 

Art.  105.  The  direction  and  inspection  of  all  the  service  for 
the  economic  defense  of  rubber,  shall  be  in  charge  of  a  provisory 
department  of  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Industry  and  Com- 
merce, entitled  "Superintendency  of  the  Protection  of  Rubber." 

Art.  106.    The  superintendency  is  charged  with : 

1.  To  receive,  to  record,  to  prepare,  and  to  inform  the  manu- 
scripts which  depend  upon  the  despatch  of  the  Minister. 

2.  To  see  to  the  effective  and  integral  execution  of  measures 
of  an  administrative  character  foreseen  in  the  Regulation. 

3.  The  study,  planning,  calculating  and  execution  of  the  work 
that  must  be  done  by  the  administration. 

4.  The  study,  planning,  calculating,  and  execution  of  the 
work  that  must  be  done  by  contract. 

5.  The  closing,  with  the  approval  of  the  Minister,  of  the 
contracts  and  the  decrees  relative  to  the  concurrence  of  the 
States  and  Municipalities  for  the  works  and  measures  which 
they  resolved  to  aid. 

Section  1.  Each  service  that  has  been  definitely  installed 
and  is  in  normal  working  condition,  shall  be  given  over  to  a 
section  of  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture  with  which  it  harmonizes 
and  incorporated  or  subordinated. 

Sec.  2.  For  the  measure  that  is  being  executed  as  ordered 
in  Sec.  1,  the  Government  shall  provide  that  the  proper  lawful 
budgets  shall  be  apportioned  of  the  means  necessary  for  the 
maintenance,  conservation  and  development  of  new  settlements. 

Art.  107.  The  Superintendency  of  the  "Protection  of  Rubber" 
shall  be  constituted  of: 

A  central  section  working  in  the  Federal  Capital. 

A  district  section  with  headquarters  in  the  national  planta- 
tions of  Rio  Branco. 

Partial  commissions  for  services  that  may  be  indispensable. 

Districts  of  inspection  embracing  one  or  more  States,  in  con- 
formity with  the  number  and  importance  of  the  services  under 
way. 

Art.  108.  The  central  section  shall  be  composed  of  a  super- 
intendent, a  secretary,  a  constructing  engineer,  an  agricultural 
engineer,  an  engineer  of  the  second  class,  two  draughtsmen,  two 
typewriters,  a  bookkeeper,  two  clerks,  a  messenger  and  two 
servants. 

The  district  section  shall  be  composed  of  a  chief  engineer,  an 
engineer  of  the  first  class,  engineers  of  the  second  class,  agricul- 

96 


tural  engineers,  conductors  of  the  first  and  second  class,  a 
draughtsman,  a  bookkeeper,  a  paymaster,  a  customs  officer,  tech- 
nical assistants,  journalists  and  a  physician. 

The  partial  commissions  shall  be  composed  of  a  chief  engi- 
neer, the  technical  and  administrative  personal  necessary,  in 
conformity  with  the  work  to  be  done,  and  a  physician. 

The  districts  for  inspection  shall  consist  of  a  chief  engineer, 
an  engineer  of  the  second  class,  an  agriculturist  and  assistants 
to  the  number  necessary  and  sufficient. 

The  staff  of  the  employes  shall  not  be  fixed,  but  vary  accord- 
ing to  the  development  of  the  work,  and  will  correspond  well 
with  the  distribution  of  the  respective  work  and  the  special  in- 
structions opportunely  executed. 

Art.  109.  The  services  relative  to  the  triennial  rubber  exposi- 
tions, shall  be  directed  by  a  special  commission  presided  over  by 
the  minister  and  composed  of  the  superintendent,  who  shall  take 
the  place  of  the  minister  in  his  absence,  and  of  the  members  of 
the  Permanent  Commission  of  Expositions,  created  by  Article 
89  of  Law  Mo.  2,544,  January  4,  1912. 

Art.  110.  All  the  personnel  of  the  superintendency  shall  be 
considered  in  commission  and  dismissed  when  the  work  is  fin- 
ished for  which  it  was  formed. 

Art.  111.  There  shall  be  appointed:  by  decree  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Republic,  the  superintendent;  by  preferment  of  the 
Minister,  the  chief  engineers,  the  secretary  of  the  central  sec- 
tion, the  engineer  of  the  first  class  and  the  paymaster  of  the 
district  section ;  by  the  Superintendent,  the  engineers  of  the 
second  class,  the  agriculturists,  the  physicians,  the  draughtsmen, 
the  typewriters,  the  clerks  and  the  customs  officials ;  by  the  chief 
engineers,  the  personnel  who  work  under  their  direction. 

Art.  112.  The  salaries  of  the  employes  shall  be  those  fixed  in 
the  annexed  table. 

For  the  employes  in  the  services  which  were  incident  to  the 
order  in  the  first  section  of  Article  106,  the  salaries  are  fixed 
in  accord  with  tables  for  similar  service  already  existing  in  the 
Minister's  department,  increased  from  fifty  to  eighty  per  cent 
for  those  who  shall  be  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon, 
while  the  high  cost  of  living  shall  continue  in  that  respective 
place. 

Art.  103.  For  services  which  shall  be  thought  advantageous, 
and  when  they  have  good  reputations,  the  Government  may  em- 
ploy professional  specialists,  natives  or  foreigners,  paying  them 
annual  salaries  not  greater  than  those  in  the  table  or  a  lump 
sum  for  the  service  rendered,  as  may  be  advisable  in  each  case. 

Art.  114.  To  provide  for  the  increase  in  the  work  of  the  Di- 
rector General  of  Accounts,  in  consequence  of  the  services  men- 

97 


tioned  in  this  regulation,  there  shall  be  added  to  the  same  Di- 
rectorship, employees  of  the  Treasury  and  other  departments  of 
recognized  ability  and  the  typewriters  in  commission  accepted, 
under  the  proposal  of  the  Director  General;  working  overtime, 
whenever  necessary,  in  accordance  with  Articles  68  and  71  of 
the  Decree,  No.  8,889,  of  August  11,  1911,  the  work  of  counting, 
examining,  inspecting  and  recording  the  expenses,  distribution 
of  credits,  advances,  and  other  things  of  an  urgent  nature. 

The  expenses  resulting  from  the  order  in  this  article  shall 
be  met  by  the  credits  which  were  opened  in  accordance  with 
Article  14  of  Law  No.  2,543A,  of  January  5,  1912.  It  pertains 
to  the  Minister  to  fix  the  gratuities  of  the  typewriters  and  the 
employes  of  the  Department  of  Finance  to  which  this  same  article 
refers. 


98 


TABLE  OF  THE  SALARIES  OF  THE    PERSONNEL 

OF  THE  SUPERINTENDENCY  "PROTECTION 

OF  RUBBER" 

Monthly 

Classes  Salaries 

Superintendent   5,000$000 

Chief  Engineer  of  the  Section  Rio  Branco 2,700$000 

Physician 2,500$000 

Constructing  Engineer   1,500$000 

Chief  Engineer  of  the  Partial  Commission 1,250$000 

Chief  Engineer  of  the  District  of  Inspection 1,250$000 

Engineer  of  the  first  class  of  the  Section  Rio  Branco.  1,250$000 

Agricultural  Engineer 7 1,000$000 

Engineer  of  the  second  class  1,000$000 

Secretary  to  the  Superintendent 1,000$000 

Paymaster  of  the  Section  Rio  Branco 1,000$000 

Conductor  of  the  first  class 750$000 

Customs  Official  of  the  Section  Rio  Branco 750$000 

Conductor  of  the  second  class 600$000 

Draughtsman    600$000 

Bookkeeper  500$000 

Technical  Aid   450$000 

Clerk  350$000 

Typewriter   350$000 

Messenger 200$000 

Servant  150$000 

The  personnel  in  service  in  the  Valley  of  the  Amazon,  with  per- 
haps the  exception  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Rio  Branco 
section,  shall  receive  an  increase  over  the  salaries  mentioned  in 
the  table,  varying  from  fifty  to  eighty  per  cent,  according  to  the 
judgment  of  the  Superintendent  because  of  the  high  cost  of  living 
in  their  respective  places. 

A  third  part  of  the  annual  salary  shall  be  considered  the 
gratuity  of  the  office. 

To  the  technical  personnel,  to  the  paymaster,  and  to  the 
physicians  shall  be  adjudicated  by  the  Superintendent  a  daily 
allowance  of  from  5$000  to  30$000. 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  April  17,  1912. 

PEDRO  DE  TOLEDO. 


List  of  utensils  and  materials  exempt  from  importation  duties, 
to  which  Article  2  of  Decree  No.  9,521  of  April  17,  1912,  refers : 

99 


FIRST  GROUP 

Implements  and  Utensils  for  the  Rubber  Gatherer 


Axes. 

Hatchets. 

Knives    and    special    apparatus 

for  the  incision  of  trees. 
Buckets,    pails,    basins    of    tin, 

zinc    or   other   material. 


Pitchers  for  smoking. 

Machines  destined  for  the 
coagulation    of   the   milk. 

Cylinders  for  pressing. 

Colanders  and  their  appurten- 
ances. 


SECOND  GROUP 

Implements  and  Material  for  Cultivation 

Electric  detoners  and  their  ac 

cessories. 
Dynamite. 
Mining  powder   and  other  ex 

plosives. 
Caps  and  fuses. 
Decauville  lines. 


Mono  rails. 

Aerial    transporters 

accessories. 
Locomotives      and 


th 


eir 


stationary 


engines. 
Chemical    drugs,    disinfectants 
and  insecticides. 


THIRD  GROUP 

Materials  and  Utensils  Intended  for  the  Culture  of  Trees  and 
Treatment  of  Rubber,  including: 

Materials  for  the  necessary  installations  for  the  mounting 
of  factories,  construction  of  buildings,  huts  and  houses  of  work- 
men, box  factory  and  factory  for  rubber  articles. 


FOURTH  GROUP 

Chemical    Substances,    Raw    Material,    Thin    Cloth    and    Othe: 

Objects  Used  in  the  Treatment  of  and  Manufacture 

of  Rubber  Articles 


a.  Coagulants : 
Acetic  Acid. 
Fluoric  Acid. 
Formic  Acid. 
Sulphuric  Acid. 
Hydrochloric  Acid. 

b.  Dissolvents: 
Aceton. 
Ethylic  Alcohol. 


Methylic  Alcohol  (C.  FI 

Benzine. 

Benzol. 

Borax  or 

Borate  of  Sodium. 

(Na  2  B.  4Ot  10  H2  O). 

Chloruret  of  Carbon. 

Chloroform. 

Ether. 


4  O), 


100 


Essence  of  Therebentine. 
Methylbenzol  or  Tolnol 

(C  H8). 
Solvent  Naphtha. 
Oil  of  Camphor   (essence). 
Oil  of  Dippel. 
Parafin  Oil. 
Sulphuret  of  Carbon. 
Tetrachloruret  of  Carbon. 

c.  Deodorizers  and  Disinfec- 

tants : 

Camphin  or  Camphene. 

Animal  Charcoal. 

Porcupine  Grape  Yellow. 

Anilines  and  their  derivatives. 

Arsenites  and  their  derivatives. 

Aureoline. 

Cobalt  Blue. 

Methylen  Blue. 

Bistre. 

Fixed  White  (Salts  of  Baryum, 

etc.). 
Creosote. 
Cresolin. 

Essence  of  Lavender. 
Essence  of  Lemon. 
Essence  of  Peppermint. 
Essence  of  Menthol     (C10     H* 

O). 
Essence  of  Eucalyptus. 
Essence  of  Florence   Lily. 
Essence  of  Mustard. 
Essence  of  Moss. 
Essence  of  Rosemary. 
Essence  of  Tomilho. 
Essence  of  Thymol. 
Farmol,   Formaldehyde  or 

Formalin. 
Nitrobenzol. 

d.  Coloring  Materials: 

Cassel's  Yellow. 
Dyck 


Van 

Brown. 
Yellow   Brilliantine. 


and    Bismarck 


Bronze  and  its  derivates. 

Orange  Bleu. 

Brooksite  (Mixture  of  rosin 
and  oils). 

Bukaramuguiana. 

Pattison  White. 

Paris  White. 

Wax  for  cables  (wax,  asphalt 
and  rosin). 

Cachou. 

Rosin  Colors. 

Massicot. 

Minio. 

Murexide    (purple). 

Paris  Black. 

Lamp  Black. 

Ivory  Black. 

Uranium  Black. 

Vine  Black. 

Nigramine. 

Ochre  of  all  colors. 

Orange  Neutral. 

Salts  of  Mercury. 

Sulfapone. 

Terre  d'Ombre. 

Falladium  Red. 

Vermillion  (sulphuret  of  mer- 
cury) . 

e.       Hydrocarburets,       Heavy 
Bodies  and  Oils: 

Stearic  Acid. 
Fish  Oil. 

Fichetelito   (C18  H22). 
Vegetable  Fibre. 
Glycerin. 
Heptana. 

Idrialine  (C30  H54  O2). 
Lanoline. 
Linoxine. 
Marito  Lard. 
Naphtaline. 

Arachyde  Oil  (Amendoim). 
Cole  Seed  Oil. 

Wood    Oil,    Chinese    and    Jap- 
anese. 
Cotton  Seed  Oil. 


101 


Layos  Oil. 

Banba  Oil. 

Oil  of  Wool  (fat  of  wool  from 
sheep). 

Linseed  Oil. 

Corn  Oil. 

Cod  Liver  Oil. 

Nut  Oil. 

Olive  Oil. 

Palm  Oil    (Attalea  Excelsis, 
Bertholetin    Excelsis,    Maxi- 
miliana  regia). 

Pine  Oil. 

Ricine  Oil. 

Soja  Oil. 

Calves'  Foot  Oil. 

Tung  Oil. 

Vulcanized  Oils. 

Nitrated  Oils. 

Parafin. 

Pentan. 

Petroleum    and   all    its    deriva- 
tives. 

Stearine. 

Vaseline. 

f.     Resin,  Resinous  Gums  and 
Lacs: 

Yellow  Amber. 
Ambroid. 
Natural  Balsam. 
Canada  Balsam. 
Chypre  Balsam. 
Sulphur  Balsam. 
Peru  Balsam. 
Therebentin  Balsam. 
Talu  Balsam. 
Benjoim. 
Colophane. 
Copal. 

Banana  Gum. 
Lac  Gum. 
Kauri  Gum. 
Lacs  separate. 

Enamel  Lacs  and  all  their  de- 
rivatives. 


Rhus  Lacs. 

Mastick. 

Rosin     Oil. 

Ammonia  Rosin. 

Bourgogue  Rosin. 

Damar  Rosin. 

Elemi  Rosin. 

Hymenea   Courbaril. 

Rosin  (Copal). 

Jalap  Rosin. 

Myrrh  Rosin. 

Xanthorea  Rosin. 

Sandarac. 

Storax. 

Therebentine. 

Venice  Therebentine  and  its 
derivatives. 

g.     Agents    of    Vulcanization: 

Metallic  Antimony  and  its  de- 
rivatives. 

Bromurets  and  all  their  deri- 
vatives. 

Calcium  and  its  derivatives. 

Caustic  Lime. 

Chlorine  (CI.)  and  all  its  de- 
rivatives. 

Lead  and  all  its  derivatives. 

Sulphur  and  all  its  derivatives. 

Iodine  and  all  its  derivatives. 

Sodium  and  its  derivatives. 

Zinc  and  its  derivatives. 

h.     Fibres  and  Cloth: 

Cotton. 

Brass. 

Cabo  Asbestos. 

Maselig  Asbestos. 

Hemp. 

Banana  Hemp. 

India  Hemp. 

Sisel  Hemp. 

Madrasta  Hemp. 

Manila  Hemp. 

Fibres  of  all  kinds  of  vegetable 

or  animal  origin. 
Vulcanized  Fibres. 


102 


Raphia  Fabrics. 

Gelatine. 

Lace. 

Gilsonite. 

Flax  Thread. 

Hermetine. 

Jute. 

Karphite. 

Wool. 

Lava. 

Flax. 

Ledererite. 

Luffa. 

Lithine. 

Japan  Lacs. 

Lithocarbon. 

Nanking. 

Manjak. 

Cotton  Cloth. 

Marloid. 

Asbestos  Cloth. 

Mica. 

Linen  Cloth. 

Mecanite. 

Paper  Mache. 

Oil  of  Tar. 

Parameta. 

Okonite. 

Rami. 

Ouralite. 

Silk    Cloth,   animal    and   vege- 

Ozocerite. 

table. 

Ozotere. 

Taffetas. 

Vegetable. 

Zaputtine  and  its  derivatives. 

j.     Divers  Materials: 

i.     Isolated  Materials : 

Citric  acid  (C6  H8 

°\ 

Asbestos  and  all  its  derivatives. 

Azotic  acid  (H.  N. 

O8). 

Alexite. 

Salicylic  acid. 

Algina. 

Sehacic  acid. 

Amiante. 

Oxalic  acid  (C2  H2 

o4). 

Asphalt. 

Oleic  acid  (C16  H84 

O2). 

Astrictum. 

Tartaric  acid. 

Russian. 

Agalmatolite. 

Birch. 

Areometers. 

Animal  and  Vegetable  Tar  of 

Alkalies. 

lignite,    hulha 

and    all   their 

Ammonia. 

derivatives. 

Salts  of  Ammonia. 

Bitite. 

Aluminum  and  its 

derivatives. 

Bitumen. 

Alum. 

Colorifugos  and 

all  its  deriva- 

Starch. 

tives. 

Auhydrite. 

Cerasine. 

Autibenzine  Pirine, 

Cork. 

Astraline. 

Cellulose  and  all 

its  deriva- 

Atmold. 

tives. 

Whale  Oil. 

Esbetine. 

Balenite. 

• 

Eshalite. 

Balons. 

Fermantine. 

Salts  of  Baryum. 

Fassilite. 

Materials  for  bleaching. 

Fucasine. 

Bolus. 

Gasoline. 

Camptulikon. 

103 


Afridi  Wax. 

Japan  Wax. 

Caruabuba  Wax. 

Carbarundum. 

Materials  for 

Beech  Creosote. 

Chlorydrate  of  Quinine. 

Cyanuret  of  Potassium. 

Caseina. 

Ceramyl. 

Vegetable  Coal. 

Coal  Dust. 

Horn. 

Mineral  and  Vegetable   Waxs. 

Fish  Glue. 

Coralline. 

Caokaline. 

Leather. 

Copper  and  its  derivatives. 

Dextrina  (C2  A20  O10). 

Dextrose. 

Diamond. 

Dichlorhydine. 

Dielectrics. 

Dielectrine. 

Eburine. 

Sponges. 

Tin  and  its  derivatives. 

Eternite. 

Flour. 

Potato  Sediment. 

Felds  Pathe. 

Fibroleum. 

Metallic  Wires. 

Sheets  of  Tin. 

Lasts. 

Fuller. 

Fustian. 

Galalithe. 

Gas. 

Gaze. 

Fish  Glue. 

Glucose. 

Glutin. 

Graphite. 

Mineral  Oils. 

Gypsum. 


Hemalite. 

Hatschetine. 

Hydrofugine. 

Koalin. 

Kisselguhr. 

Compound  Kirrage. 

Lactoleum. 

Lederine. 

Limeite. 

Lactoite. 

Lactites. 

Material  for  Polishing. 

Magnalium. 

Magnesium  and  its  compounds. 

Magnesia. 

Magnesia   Calcinated   . 

Marble  Dust. 

Morocoline. 

Nickel. 

Salt  of  Nipa. 

Nitronaphtaline. 

Orgahdim. 

Bones. 

Pagodite. 

Pantasote. 

Petrifite. 

Earth  of  Pipe. 

Pumice  Stone. 

Phosphorus. 

Plombago. 

Pluviosine. 

Salts  of  Potassium 

Poudre   Rouge. 

Anti-ronille. 

Sand. 

Salitre      (Nitrate     of      Potash 

K.  N.  O3). 
Soap. 
Sawdust. 

Silicates  of  Aluminum. 
Bronze  Silicium. 
Hides. 
Luberine. 
Luberite. 

Metallic  Sulphuret. 
Isinglass. 
Tannico. 


104 


Metallic  Cloth.  Vulcoleina. 

Turfa.  Wallasine. 

Tripoli.  Waterproof  Varnish. 

Trichopiese.  Whaleboline. 

I  lulha  Varnish.  Xylolithe. 

Wood  Vinegar. 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  April  17,  1912. 

PEDRO    DE    TOLEDO, 

Minister  of  Agriculture. 


105 


GEORGE  E.  PELL,  ESQ. 
Commissioner  for  the  Commercial  Association  of  Para 


106 


PARA 


FURTHER  DETAILS  RELATING 
TO  PARA  HAVE  NOT  COME 
TO  HAND  UP  TO  THE  TIME 
OF  GOING  TO  PRESS 


107 


COMMERCIAL  ASSOCIATION,  PARA  (BRAZIL) 


DESCRIPTION  OF  EXHIBITS. 


501  Biscuits 

81  Biscuits 

111  Biscuits 

235  Biscuits 

145  Biscuits 


44  Biscuits 
10  Biscuits 


10  Biscuits 


Quality. 

Fine  Island  Rubber, 

Fine  Island  Rubber,  Cajary, 

Fine  Island  Rubber,  Anapu, 

Fine  Island  Rubber,  Cavianna, 

Fine  Low  Xingu, 


Weight, 
net  1,037  ks. 
net     804  ks. 

net     756  ks. 

net  1,116  ks. 

net     979  ks. 


sticks  Fine  Itaituba  (Tap), 
Fine  High  Xingu, 


net     937  ks 
net     696  ks. 


5  Biscuits  I   on 
34  Biscuits  S 


63  Biscuits 


sticks  Fine  Itaituba  (Tapajos)  Cachoeira,     net  1,025  ks. 


110  Biscuits 


20  Balls 
30  Balls 

20  Balls 

2  Bags — 1  Bag 

1  Bag 

2  Boxes — 4    &  5 
1  Case— No.    3 

1  Box 

1  Box 


Weak  Fine  Rubber,  net     650  ks. 

Island  Coarse  Rubber,  net  1,000  ks. 

Cameta  Coarse,  net  1,515  ks. 

Coarse  Itaituba  (Tapajos),  •               net     302  ks. 

Weak  Coarse,  net     254  ks. 

Tiras  (Strips),  net     119  ks. 

Toe.  Caucho  Ball,  net     911  ks. 

Tap.  Caucho  Ball,  Cachoeira,  net  1,061  ks. 

High  Xingu  Caucho  Ball,  net  1,044  ks. 

Inaja  Palm  Nuts 

Urucuri  Palm  Nuts 

Tin  Cups,   etc.,   for  collecting  Latex 
Natural  Woods — 2    blocks    of    wood    and    shav- 
ings,  used  for   curing  rubber 
Machadinhos   (Hatchets),  collecting  and  curing 

utensils 
Wooden    Stand   used   for   curing  large   biscuits 

of  rubber. 

108 


Procedence. 

From    the    Islands. 

From  River  Cajary, 
&  partly   islands. 

From  River  Anapu 
&  partly   islands. 

From  Island  of 
Cavianna. 

From  Lower 
reaches  of  River 
Xingu  (This  par- 
cel contains  two 
lots,  dry  and 
fresh,  should  be 
separated  and 
marked  "Dry" 
and  "New"). 

From  Lower 
reaches  of  River 
Tapajos. 

From  Higher 
reaches  of  River 
Xingu,  above  rap- 
ids. 

From  Higher 
reaches  of  River 
Tapajos,  above 
rapids,  and  state 
of   Matto-Grosso. 

From  Lower 
Amazon. 

From  Islands  and 
affluents  of  Lower 
Amazon. 

From  River  Cameta 
and  partly  Isl- 
ands. 

From  River  Tapa- 
jos. 

From  Lower 
Amazon. 

From  River  Tapa- 
jos. 

From  River  To- 
cantins  &  Rio 
Fresco. 

From  Higher 
reaches  of  River 
Tapajos,  above 
rapids,  and  State 
of   Matto-Grosso. 

From  Higher 
reaches  of  River 
Xingu. 

Used  for     curing 

Fine  Rubber. 

Used  for      curing 

Fine  Rubber. 


The 

AMAZONAS 

Section 


109 


AMAZON  STATE  IS  THE  LARGEST  ONE 

IN  BRAZIL 

Area  in  square  kilometers,  1,894,724. 

Population,  600,000  inhabitants. 

Capital,  Manaos ;  60,000  inhabitants,  32m,  40m  height  from  sea- 
level. 

It  exports  rubber  and  woods  for  construction  and  for  other 
works,  Para  nuts,  Guarana  and  some  other  products. 

Beans,  corn,  rice  and  almost  every  kind  of  cereals  grow  there 
beautifully. 

It  is  put  in  communication  with  Europe  by  one  English  and 
two  German  Steamship  Companies,  and  by  cable  and  wireless 
telegraphy.  These  companies  have  improved  their  steamers, 
which  go  to  Europe.  To  the  United, States  it  is  served  only  by 
the  English  company,  every  ten  days.    They  are  cargo  boats. 

Principal  cities :  Stacoatiara,  Manicore,  Humaythe,  TefTe, 
Parintins  and  Labrea. 

Medium  temperature,  27°  2'  centigrade. 

Rains — Evaporation  in  mm.,  1592,0.  Height,  1525,3  (in  202 
days). 

Wind — Velocity  in  one  second,  lm,  60.     Direction,  east. 

EXPORTS  OF  RUBBER  FROM  STATE  OF  AMAZONAS 
SINCE  1827  UP  TO  1907 

Years.  Kilograms. 

1837  802,410 

1847  4,286,570 

1857  7,134,195 

1867  2,969,070 

1877  17,403,574 

1887  43,454,671 

1897  106,424,423 

1907  120,434,947 

From  1827  to  1852  the  exports  belong  to  Para  and  Amazonas 
together. 


110 


COLONEL  ANTONIO  CLEMENTE 
RIBEIRO  BITTENCOURT 

Governor  of  the  State  of  the  Amazonas,  Brazil 


111 


>i 


DR.  MANOEL  LOBATO 

Commissioner   for   the   State   of   the   Amazonas,    Brazil,   also   of 
Matto   Grosso   and   the   Federal   Territory   of   Acre 


113 


RUBBER  IN  THE  STATE  OF  AMAZONAS 

General  Ideas  about  the  State.    Progress  in  the  Means  of  Trans- 
portation.   Climatological  Conditions. 

The  State  of  the  Amazonas  is  the  largest  one  in  the  Brazilian 
Republic.  Notwithstanding  its  well-known  natural  resources  that 
are  not  limited,  according  to  many  persons,  to  the  precious  milk 
of  the  rubber  tree — that  wonderful  tree  of  fortune — which  is  dis- 
puted by  various  producing  centers,  its  vast  territory  is  yet  far 
from  being  completely  and  properly  populated. 

The  emigration  currents  towards  that  section  have  started 
lately,  so  that  the  population  of  hardly  over  two  hundred  thou- 
sand souls  a  few  years  ago,  to-day  is  over  six  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  without  any  exaggeration. 

As  such  changes  are  taking  place  the  conditions  of  life  arc 
being  altered  every  day.  It  is  true  that  there  still  prevails  in 
the  books  of  gay  tourists  who  consider  humbug  as  a  condition 
of  inexhaustible  success,  the  impression  that  the  native  indians 
travel  about  half  nude  and  armed  with  arches  and  arrows,  chasing 
the  lost  Europeans  through  such  outlandish  regions  of  the  world. 

The  remark,  however,  is  not  based  on  real  facts.  The  native 
Indians  are  not  now  to  be  found  in  very  accessible  places.  The 
foreigner  who  lands  in  the  Amazonas  capital,  for  instance,  may 
be  sure  that  his  habits  and  his  civilization  will  not  cause  any 
fright. 

It  is  difficult  to  find  among  the  natives  who  possess  some 
education  and  means  one  who  has  not  been  through  several 
European  countries,  especially  France;  so  that  as  soon  as  the 
visitor  lands  he  notices  an  atmosphere  of  modern  improvements 
and  all  the  novelty  and  gay  spirit  of  Parisian  life;  the  latesi 
fashions  are  found  at  once  in  Manaos. 

The  progress  of  that  beautiful  princess  of  the  Rio  Negro 
(Black  River)  is  most  remarkable,  because  it  is  at  the  most  only 
twenty  years.  Until  the  proclamation  of  the  Republic  in  Brazil, 
Manaos  amounted  to  almost  nothing.  From  1889  to  this  date 
began  its  stupendous  development,  counting  already  over  60,000 
inhabitants. 

To-day  it  has  comfortable  homes,  good  and  solid  buildings 
of  artistic  architecture.  Its  port  is  perfectly  fitted  to  receive 
the  visits  of  the  large  transatlantic  steamers,  which  places  it 

114 


A.  W.  STEDMAN,  ESQ. 

Commissioner  for  the  Commercial  Association  of  the   State  of 

Manaos,  Matto  Grosso,  and  the  Federal  Territory 

of  Acre,  Brazil 


115 


in  communication  with  the  leading  European  ports.  The  navi- 
gation line  for  the  United  States,  served  by  an  English  company, 
is  not  yet  of  the  required  progress  to  insure  all  the  necessary 
comfort  to  the  passengers  who  venture  to  undertake  the  long 
trip.  Furthermore,  it  is  served  by  steamers  that  do  not  possess 
the  modern  requirements  of  speed,  which  at  present  is  of  first 
interest  not  only  for  the  passengers  who  look  for  a  pleasure 
resort  as  well  as  for  the  intercourse  of  commercial  relations  with 
the  world's  markets.  That  is  the  reason  why  the  interchange 
between  Amazonas  and  New  York  has  been  rather  slow,  which 
interchange  could  be  of  greater  magnitude  than  it  is  to-day  if 
there  was  a  more  intimate  knowledge  between  the  parties. 

I  would  not  want  to  end  this  information  about  the  capital 
of  the  State  of  Amazonas  without  quoting  some  paragraphs 
from  the  excellent  work,  "The  Rubber  Country  of  the  Amazon," 
written  by  Mr.  Henry  C.  Pearson,  Editor  of  the  "India  Rubbei 
World" : 

"When  one  considers  that  this  city  is  a  thousand  miles  from 
the  seacoast,  in  the  heart  of  a  vast  tropical  jungle,  with  wild 
Indians  within  a  hundred  miles  of  it,  its  presence  seems  incred- 
ible. In  a  way,  it  is  as  modern  as  New  York  or  Chicago.  The 
latest  Parisian  fashions  are  there,  and  almost  anything  that 
civilized  man  desires  is  obtainable.  Prices  are  high,  to  be  sure, 
because  both  luxuries  and  necessities  are  imported  and  subject 
to  a  duty  of  100  per  cent.  But  when  something  besides  rubber 
is  produced  by  the  magnificently  fertile  lands  that  surround  it, 
Manaos  will  be  one  of  the  great  and  beautiful  cities  of  the  world 
and  living  as  reasonable  as  anywhere." 

That  progress,  although  it  has  been  made  principally  in 
Manaos,  in  some  form  is  also  affecting  the  interior  of  the  State. 
The  river  navigation  is  made  quicker  than  before  and  on  elegant 
and  up-to-date  steamers,  which  navigate  throughout  all  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Amazon  River. 

Furthermore,  the  Madeira-Mamore  railroad  has  produced  a 
great  improvement  in  the  transportation  facilities  adopted  in  the 
State  for  the  quick  delivery  of  merchandise  in  the  interior. 

The  most  distant  points  of  the  territory  are  now  connected 
by  wireless  telegraphy.  The  news  of  the  world  can  be  trans- 
mitted daily  to  the  capital  of  the  State  by  means  of  double  river 
cable  and  by  wireless  telegraphy  of  the  Marconi  system. 

The  climatic  conditions  are  not  so  terrible  as  pictured  in 
the  minds  of  the  outside  people,  who  do  not  know  the  real  facts 
and  the  true  geographic  situation  of  the  State. 

Mr.  A.  R.  Wallace,  in  his  "Narrative  of  Travels  on  the  Ama- 

116 


,        _ 


CAOUTCHOUC   PROCESS  No.   1. 
The  Men  Set  to  Work  Bleeding  the  Base  of  the  Castilloa. 


117 


zon  and  Rio  Negro,"  and  Captain  Maury,  in  his  book  "The 
Amazon  and  the  Atlantic  Coast  of  South  America,"  show  them- 
selves so  enthusiastic  over  the  climate  of  Amazonas  and  recom- 
mend it  "as  one  of  the  healthiest  and  mildest  in  the  world."  That 
easy  enthusiasm  is  not  so  good  for  us  as  the  competent  French 
engineer,  Mr.  Paul  Le  Cointe's  opinion,  after  many  years  in  the 
northern  part  of  Brazil.     Thus  he  expresses  himself: 

"The  Amazonia,  an  immense  tableland  slightly  concave,  situ- 
ated entirely  in  the  tropics,  crossed  by  rivers  of  colossal  dimen- 
sions, with  lakes  and  swamps,  the  remains  of  the  original  water 
basin,  badly  separated  by  modern  alluvium  land,  covered  with 
impenetrable  forests  from  which  emerge  here  and  there  some 
plains,  ought  to,  have  a  specially  hot,  damp  and  unhealthy 
climate. 

"That  is  the  reputation  which  it  has  enjoyed  for  a  long  time 
and  which  has  frightened  away  the  European  immigration ;  but 
it  is  not  deserved  in  such  an  absolute  manner;  as  a  hot  country 
is  perhaps  on  the  contrary  the  less  deadly  for  the  settler  as 
well  as  for  the  traveler." 

THE  AMAZON  AS  RUBBER  PRODUCER 

It  is  indeed  very  difficult  if  not  absolutely  impossible  to  limit 
the  rubber  producing  region  of  Amazonas.  In  almost  the  whole 
of  the  vast  territory  of  that  State  there  are  found  rubber  trees 
and  where  they  do  not  grow,  they  certainly  can  be  successfully 
planted.  Over  large  tracts  of  lands  on  the  banks  of  rivers  not 
navigable,  there  are  extensive  rubber  forests  not  explored  on 
account  of  lack  of  population. 

That  exuberance  of  the  Amazonian  flora,  that  arrangement  of 
nature  to  furnish  resources  to  the  rubber  extractor  for  many 
years,  kept  him  away  from  any  other  occupation  except  that  of 
raising  the  arm  and  wounding  the  tree  of  fortune  in  order  to 
obtain  prosperity.  There  was  no  necessity  of  planting  that  which 
the  open  road  of  the  forest  presents  at  each  step ;  also  why 
worry  with  a  view  to  obtaining  any  other  process  of  securing 
the  "hevea  brasiliensis"  when  its  milk  in  the  primitive  state  is 
obtained  at  the  lowest  price  of  exploitation  and  cultivation,  pre- 
serving all  the  excellent  qualities  of  the  rubber? 

The  presence  of  competitors  in  the  world's  market,  more 
than  the  damage  caused  to  the  health  by  the  smoking  process 
of  coagulation,  is  the  reason  to  establish  new  exploitation.  The 
rubber  plantation  is  now  being  conducted  perhaps  without  obey- 
ing the  scientific  criterion,  but  more  in  the  shape  of  facilitating 
the  gathering  of  the  latex. 

118 


One  hears  a  good  deal  about  high  prices  in  the  Amazonas, 
and  careless  observers  state  in  opposition  to  that  the  cheapness 
of  life  in  the  Asiatic  Islands  and  other  points  of  the  world,  i 
do  not  think  that  a  thoughtful  person  without  any  interest  in 
connection  with  enterprises  and  plantations  elsewhere  in  the 
world,  would  be  able  to  use  such  an  assertion,  which  is  so 
unjust. 

The  French  engineer,  Mr.  Paul  Le  Cointe,  who  is  an  expert 
in  the  matter,  writes  the  following: 

"For  the  work  to  be  executed,  the  number  of  workmen  re- 
quired is  much  less  where  the  production  of  those  men  is  high, 
hence  to  calculate  the  price  of  hand  work,  the  individual  produc- 
tion is  the  factor  that  may  become  more  important  than  the  pay 
to  the  men  who  work  by  the  day. 

"In  the  Far  East,  the  workmen  are  paid  from  Fr.  75  to  Fr. 
1.25,  equal  to  14  cents  to  23  cents,  approximately,  including  feed- 
ing. In  the  Amazonas,  the  pay  per  day  amounts  to  Frs.  4.75, 
or  that  is,  almost  91  cents  for  all  the  work,  which  is  three  to  four 
times  more." 

Let  us  examine  the  cost  in  Asia  and  in  the  Amazonas  for 
the  different  work  required  by  the  cultivation  of  the  rubber 
trees. 

According  to  Mr.  Stanley  Arden,  it  is  about  38  cents  for 
each  kilogram  of  rubber  in  the  plantation  (the  data  that  I  am 
presenting  in  connection  with  this  matter  is  from  the  book  of 
Mr.  Le  Cointe,  entitled  "Le  Caoutchouc  Amazonien  et  son  Con- 
current Asiatique"). 

Mr.  Lamy  Torrilhon  speaks  about  the  Kuala  Lampur  Rub- 
ber Company  (Malay),  which  had  in  1909,  404,012  rubber  trees 
from  one  to  six  years  old.  Calculating  the  price  of  cultivation  of 
that  rubber  at  Fr.  4  per  kilogram  or  approximately  76  cents, 
Mr.  Stanley  Arden  also  calculated  that  the  cost  of  a  hectar  of 
plantation  before  reaching  the  period  of  exploitation  (the  sixth 
year,  according  to  him)  was  only  Fr.  816,  or  more  or  less  $157, 
including  the  salaries  and  establishment  of  European  employees, 
an?d  Mr.  M.  G.  Vernet,  of  the  Pasteur  Institute  of  Nha-Trang, 
calculated  Fr.  3,000,  about  $580. 

Mr.  Le  Cointe  further  states  that  Mr.  Stanley  Arden  in  his 
calculations  of  expense  seems  to  presume  the  plantation  in  lands 
not  thickly  wooded,  because  he  counts  for  the  burning  and  clear- 
ing of  the  land,  hardly  one-third  the  cost  of  felling  the  trees, 
when  in  the  forest  it  is  about  the  same.  Of  course,  lands  not 
properly  protected  and  in  the  virgin  state  in  the  tropical  coun- 
tries, are  less  fertile  than  those  covered  with  thick  forests,  fur- 

120 


thermore  the  lands  that  have  been  devoted  to  a  prolonged  culti- 
vation of  plants,  like  coffee,  tea,  etc.,  are  to  a  large  extent  ex- 
hausted, and  if  rubber  trees  were  attempted  to  be  planted  there, 
the  result  would  be  that  it  would  largely  lose  the  advantages  by 
having  to  fell  new  trees. 

Mr.  Le  Cointe  also  speaks  of  about  225  trees  per  kilogram, 
when  practically  that  number  can  be  doubled ;  besides  this  the 
calculation  made  by  the  same  author  of  about  $18  for  the  clear- 
ing of  the  hectar,  at  the  rate  of  $14  per  day  for  each  workman 
shows  that  the  price  for  that  work  in  almost  clean  land  will  take 
sixty-two  days,  whereas  in  the  Amazonas  we  only  count  on 
twenty-six  days  for  each  clearing  of  a  hectar  in  a  virgin  forest. 

This  argument,  it  seems  to  me,  shows  that  there  is  a  purpose 
to  bring  up  a  cheapness  which  is  more  apparent  than  real,  with 
the  determination  of  recommending  the  Asiatic  plantations  to 
the  detriment  of  the  Amazonas  rubber  plantations. 

This  plan  of  attack  is  not  the  most  correct  one.  We  have 
the  advantage  of  having  workmen  who  easily  adapt  themselves 
to  the  producing  land,  and  with  the  measures  of  protection  that 
the  Government  is  going  to  guarantee  to  the  rubber  planters, 
the  life  of  the  contractor  is  going  to  become  easier. 

The  tree  which  is  planted  in  its  own  region,  is  less  subject 
to  ravages,  being  less  persecuted  by  the  destroying  parasites,  is 
not  violently  fell  by  hard  winds. 

As  every  day  increases  the  number  of  industries  which  re- 
quires rubber  as  a  raw  material,  it  is  therefore  necessary  to 
exploit  it  in  different  centers,  counting  even  with  possible  dis- 
aster, but  nowhere  in  the  world,  in  accordance  with  the  most 
reliable  statistics,  is  there  more  favorable  land  for  the  planting 
of  rubber  trees  than  in  the  various  territories  of  the  Amazonas. 
That  territory  has  been  placed  by  nature  to  be  the  emporium  of 
that  industry,  and  counts  with  all  the  means  to  preserve  that 
privilege,  and  for  the  guarantee  of  the  planter  as  soon  as  the 
rubber  tree  develops  itself,  it  has  other  resinous  trees  suitable  for 
construction,  and  excellent  fibres  which  can  be  sold  at  a  profit. 
The  Brazilian  walnut  is  so  abundant  there  that  it  is  a  second 
source  of  income  in  the  State  of  Amazonas. 

THE  PRODUCTION  OF  RUBBER 

Only  during  the  first  six  months  of  this  year,  notwithstanding 
that  the  time  for  the  full  crop  was  not  as  yet  due,  from  Manaos 
there  were  exported  to  the  United  States  2,328,389  kilograms  of 
fine  rubber,  602,180  medium  quality,  sernamby  991,088,  caucho 

122 


H 

K   « 

«  I 

2  - 

si? 

M    o 
PQ 

^   § 
,     >> 

fe    cti 

o| 
o  £ 

s^ 

w  > 

H    a; 
%  S3 

H 


798,024;  to  Europe,  first  quality  2,449,776,  medium  quality  407,- 
278,  sernamby  507,860,  caucho  1,368,489;  from  Itacoatiara,  first 
quality  37,240,  medium  3,858,  sernamby  26,237,  caucho  11,405, 
that  is  for  the  Amazonas  a  total  of  9,531,824  kilograms,  almost 
half  of  the  export  of  22,902,401  kilograms  made  in  that  period 
for  that  State,  besides  that  of  Para  and  Iquitos.  The  production 
of  Amazonas  in  1910  was  10,466,231  kilograms;  in  1911,  10,122,- 
242 ;  this  year,  it  is  expected  that  there  will  be  an  increase  of 
more  than  15  per  cent  of  the  production  of  last  year. 

This  is  due  only  to  the  active  work  of  a  few  thousand  work- 
men. What  would  be  the  colossal  production  of  that  territory, 
when  the  work  of  the  men  will  be  facilitated  by  a  rational  dis- 
tribution of  rubber  trees! 

Reflecting  upon  that,  I  am  reminded  of  the  words  of  Dr. 
T.  Huber: 

"A  regular  planting  industry  will  have  a  marked  and  salutary 
influence  upon  the  extraction  of  wild  rubber  and  the  management 
of  wild  rubber  forests." 

Furthermore,  I  have  the  full  conviction  that  the  future  of 
that  industry  competently  managed  will  offer  in  Amazonas,  and 
in  order  to  be  more  exact,  in  Brazil,  more  guarantees  of  success 
than  in  any  other  region  in  the  world. 

M.  LOBATO. 


124 


BRAZIL 

The  States  of  Amazonas  and  Matto-Grosso,  and  the 
Acre  Territory 

The  Commercial  Association  of  Amazonas  exhibits  samples 
of  rubber  from  the  States  of  Amazonas  and  Matto-Grosso,  and 
from  the  Acre  Territory,  having  been  authorized  by  the  respec- 
tive Governments  for  this  purpose. 


1.  STATE  OF  AMAZONAS 

The  main  stream  of  the  River  Amazon  flows  through  the 
entire  territory  of  this  State,  and  within  its  boundaries  is  joined 
by  many  tributaries. 

The  boundary  with  the  State  of  Para  is  formed  by  the  same 
river,  and  that  with  Matto-Grosso  and  the  Republic  of  Bolivia  by 
the  Upper  Madeira  River.  The  River  Javary,  a  tributary  of  the 
Solimoes  (or  Upper  Amazon),  forms  the  boundary  with  Peru,  as 
does  the  Upper  Rio  Negro  (the  waters  of  which  connect  with 
the  Orinoco  through  the  Cassiquari  Canal),  with  Venezuela. 
Before  the  formation  of  the  Federal  Acre  Territory,  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Rivers  Acre,  Purus,  and  Jurua  also  constituted 
the  frontiers  of  the  State  of  Amazonas  with  Peru  and  Bolivia. 

The  capital  of  the  State,  Manaos,  is  situated  in  the  bay  of  the 
Rio  Negro,  three  days  distant  by  steamer  from  the  capital  of 
the  adjoining  State,  Para.  The  nearest  European  port,  Lisbon, 
can  be  reached  in  thirteen  days,  and  New  York  in  eighteen  days. 

Manaos  is  the  turning-point  for  ocean  going  steamers  from 
the  United  States  of  America,  and  Europe,  as  well  as  from  the 
South  of  Brazil. 

The  companies  engaged  in  the  transatlantic  service  are : 

The  Booth  Steamship  Co.,  Ltd.  (British),  with  four  sailings 
each  way  to  and  from  Liverpool  per  month,  calling  at  Itacoatiara, 
Para,  Madeira,  Lisbon,  Leixoes  (Oporto),  Vigo  and  Cherbourg, 
and  three  sailings  to  and  from  New  York  per  month,  calling  at 
Para  and  Barbadoes. 

The  Hamburg- Amerika  Line  and  Hamburg-Sudamerikanische 
Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft  (German),  with  two  sailings  per 
month  to  and  from  Hamburg,  calling  at  Para,  Madeira,  Lisbon, 
Leixoes  (Oporto),  Havre  and  Antwerp.  The  Booth  Steamship 
Co.,  Ltd.,  also  runs  two  lines,  one  from  Liverpool  and  the  other 
from  New  York,  as  far  as  Iquitos,  the  capital  and  principal  port 
of  the  Loreto  province  of  Peru.  Maritime  communication  with 
Southern  Brazil  is  maintained  by  the  "Lloyd  Brazileiro"  and  the 

126 


i 


AOM.NhSTRACAO    DO 
0"   IDUAROO    GONQAlVtS    RIBCII 


JMHAD5 


i«»i».jl».».-  atal 


MAP  OF  MANAOS 


127 


"Cia.  de  Commercio  e  Navegacao,"  the  former  having  six  steam- 
ers per  month,  and  the  latter  three.  The  voyage  from  Manaos  to 
Rio  de  Janeiro  occupies  from  14  to  16  days. 

The  river  navigation  is  controlled  by  the  Amazon  River  Navi- 
gation Co.  (1911),  Ltd.,  and  numerous  private  steamers,  which 
form  a  flotilla  only  to  be  compared  with  that  of  the  River  Missis- 
sippi. A  new  company  "A  Companhia  Navegacao  do  Amazonas" 
is  about  to  commence  operations.  All  these  steamers  call  at 
Manaos,  or  have  their  headquarters  there. 

Telegraphic  communication  is  as  follows:  By  means  of  the 
Amazon  Telegraph  Co.,  Ltd.,  in  combination  with  the  Western 
Telegraph  Co.  to  and  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Wireless  Telegraphy  (Marconi  and  Telefunken  systems),  is 
already  making  considerable  headway.  The  Marconi  station 
at  Manaos,  in  the  hands  of  the  Madeira  Mamore  Railway  Co., 
receives  and  transmits  messages  to  and  from  Porto  Velho,  on 
the  Madeira  River,  the  starting  point  and  headquarters  of  the 
railroad,  as  well  as  to  and  from  the  Telefunken  stations  at  Senna 
Madureira,  Empreza  and  Cruzeiro  do  Sul  (the  capital  towns  of 
the  three  divisions  of  the  Acre  Territory). 

These  last  stations  are  not  yet  open  for  use  by  the  public, 
and  other  intermediate  stations  are  still  in  course  of  construction. 

Manaos  has  also  a  station  of  the  Amazon  Wireless  Telegraph 
&  Telephone  Co.,  Ltd.,  which  transmits  messages  to  Para,  and 
has  lately  been  in  regular  communication  with  the  station  in 
Iquitos  belonging  to  the  Peruvian  Government.  By  this  route 
it  is  possible  to  send  messages  to  Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru,  on 
the  Pacific  Coast.  However,  the  Company  mentioned  has  so 
far  not  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  official  permission  of  the 
Brazilian  Government  to  operate  in  Brazil. 

Manaos  has  a  permanent  population  of  upwards  of  70,000 
inhabitants.  Its  houses  and  public  buildings  conform  to  modern 
architectural  ideas,  and  some  of  its  buildings,  such  as  the  State 
Theatre,  the  Public  Library,  the  Palace  of  Justice  and  the  "Ben- 
jamin Constant"  Orphan  Asylum  are  magnificent. 

The  streets,  squares  and  avenues  are  well  lighted  by  electric- 
ity and  the  town  possesses  an  excellent  electric  tramway  system. 
The  drainage  scheme  is  almost  completed,  and  the  water  supply 
is  very  satisfactory.  The  port  works  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Manaos  Harbor,  Ltd.  There  are  some  excellent  hotels,  and  a 
splendid  telephone  service. 

The  following  banks  carry  on  operations  in  Manaos : 

The  London  &  Brazilian  Bank,  Ltd.,  and  The  London  & 
River  Plate  Bank,  Ltd.  (British),  agencies. 

Banco  do  Brazil  (Brazilian),  agency. 

Banco  Amazonense  (Brazilian),  Head  Office. 

128 


A    "SERINGUEIRO"'   TAPPING   A    RUBBER   TREE. 
129 


Banking  Firms:  Zarges  Ohliger  &  Co.   (German). 
Life,  Fire  &  Marine  Insurance  Companies: 

Northern  Insurance  Co.  (British),  agency. 

Royal  Insurance  Co.  (British),  agency. 

"Mannheim"  Insurance  Co.  (German),  agency. 

Lloyd  Amazonense  (Brazilian),  head  office. 

And  agencies  of  the  following  Brazilian  companies :  Garantia 
da  Amazonia,  Seguradora  Paraense,  Allianca  da  Bahia,  Com- 
mercial Paraense,  Lloyd  Paraense,  Allianca,  Paraense. 

Rubber  is  the  chief  industry  of  the  State,  being  its  principal 
product  and  source  of  income.  The  predominance  of  this  industry 
dates  from  1863,  and  within  a  few  years  it  superseded  entirely 
the  planting  of  rice,  coffee,  cocoa,  sugar  cane,  beans  and  maize. 

Up  to  1870  rubber  was  generally  exported  in  the  form  of 
roughly  made  shoes,  hats  and  caps,  as  well  as  in  sacks  and  in 
bulk,  the  greater  part  of  it  going  to  New  York,  via  Para.  Later, 
the  present  system  of  biscuits  or  balls,  cut  and  packed  in  cases, 
came  into  use. 

Considerable  business  has  always  been  done  in  Amazon  with 
the  United  States  of  America,  although  formerly  the  proportion 
shipped  to  America  was  greater  than  at  present,  as  it  was  only 
in  later  years  that  the  heavy  competition  by  London  and  Liver- 
pool came  into  being. 

The  production  of  the  various  rivers  during  1911  was : 

River  Solimoes  865,000  kilos 

Purus 3,019,000 

Acre 371,000 

Jurua 2,055,000 

Madeira 1,370,000 

Tavary 1,420,000 

Japura 70,000 

Jutahy    287,000 

Negro 679,000 

Branco   33,000 

Lower  Amazon   194,000 

The  rubber  exporting  houses  are : 

Zarges  Ohliger  &  Co.  (German). 
Adelbert  H.  Alden,  Ltd.   (American). 
Ahlers  &  Co.  (German). 
General  Rubber  Co.  of  Brazil  (American). 
De  Lagotellerie  &  Co.  (French). 


no 


'DEFUMADOR,"  OR  SMOKING-HUT. 


131 


STATE  OF  AMAZON  EXHIBIT  INCLUDES: 

Pyramid  of  50  tons  rubber. 
Models  of  River  Steamers. 
Rubber  Milk. 
Photographs  and  Maps. 
Rubber  Toys,   etc.,   made   by   natives. 
Basins,  Pails,  etc. 

Large  Rubber  Tree  Stump  and  several  Young  Rubber  Trees, 
Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Asenei  &  Co.,  River  Madeira. 


Rubber  Milk. 

Nuts  and  Appliances  for  Smoking  Rubber. 

Exhibited  by  Sno.  Raymundo  Monteiro  da  Costa 


COMPARATIVE  RUBBER  'STATISTICS 

Comparative  Rates  of  Fine  Para. 
Liv 
s. 

1894 2 

1895 3 

1896 3 

1897 3 

1898 3 

1899 3 

1900 3 

1901 3 

1902 2 

1903 3 

1904 3 

1905 4 

1906 4 

1907 2 

1908 2 

1909 4 

1910 4 

1911 3 


Liverpool. 

New  York. 

d. 

s. 

d. 

9       to 

3 

1 

$0.64^ 

to 

$0.73 

0%  to 

3 

4% 

.70 

to 

&V/2 

0}/2  to 

3 

m 

.71 

to 

.85 

5       to 

3 

9 

.1^/2 

to 

.89 

iy2  to 

4 

5 

.82 

to 

1.06 

10       to 

4 

nVA 

.91 

to 

1.10 

sy2  to 

4 

9 

.83 

to 

1.1154 

4       to 

3 

iiy2 

.76 

to 

.95 

10       to 

3 

W2 

.66 

to 

.92 

6%   to 

4 

8 

.78 

to 

1.13 

10%   to 

5 

6 

.89 

to 

1.32 

1054  to 

5 

8% 

1.13 

to 

1.35 

llV2  to 

5 

5/2 

1.16 

to 

1.28 

11%  to 

5 

3 

.69 

to 

1.24 

954  to 

5 

5 

.65 

to 

1.30 

10       to 

9 

2 

1.13 

to 

2.15 

10       to 

12 

454 

1.16 

to 

2.90 

10       to 

7 

1 

.90 

to 

1.67 

FEDERAL  TERRITORY 
OF  ACRE 


THE  ACRE 

THE  FLUVIAL  REGION  THAT  IS  RICHEST  IN 

RUBBER 

As  far  as  the  wealth  of  rubber  obtained  from  natural  sources 
is  concerned,  Brazil  ranks  first  among  all  the  world's  rubber 
producing  countries.  While  the  East  Indian  section,  with  its 
plantation  grown  product,  has  already  outstripped  her  in  the 
quantity  of  its  annual  plantation  output,  the  superior  excellence 
of  genuine  Para  rubber  has  not  been  attained.  The  "fine  rubber" 
that  comes  from  the  inundated  region  of  the  lower  river  country 
is  best  known.  In  the  upper  districts  of  various  southern  afflu- 
ents, fine  rubber  trees  grow,  but  no  longer  in-the  lowlands  that 
have  long  been  subject  to  inundation,  they  occur  rather  in  forests 
that  are  overflowed  seldom,  if  at  all,  that  even  extend  over  the 
hilly  districts.  The  method  of  collection  and  the  entire  opera- 
tion of  rubber  production  varies  in  many  respects  from  the 
more  familiar  methods  of  the*  inundated  districts.  This  applies 
particularly  to  Acre,  with  its  characteristic  and  peculiar  river 
section. 

To  explore  this  section,  from  economic  and  scientific  points 
of  view,  I  undertook  a  journey  last  year,  1911,  at  the  instance 
of  the  Associacao  Commercial. 

The  results  of  this  journey  will  be  embodied  in  a  detail  report, 
it  is  at  present  proposed  to  make  only  a  brief  summary  to  sup- 
plement the  pictures  shown  in  the  exhibition. 

Our  better  knowledge  of  Acre  dates  back  barely  a  quarter  of 
a  century.  At  that  period  uncertainty  prevailed  as  to  which  of 
the  countries  adjoining  Acre,  Brazil,  Bolivia  and  Peru,  were  the 
owners  of  the  territory.  In  more  recent  times  these  conditions 
have  been  adjusted,  the  greater  part  having  been  awarded  to 
Brazil,  while  Bolivia  received  a  portion  of  the  left  bank  of  the 
upper  Acre.  The  boundary  between  Bolivia  and  Peru  is  as  yet 
undecided.  The  latter  country  includes  the  uppermost  left  bank 
of  the  source  section  which  contains  but  few  fine  rubber  trees. 

The  Acre  is  a  right  affluent  of  the  larger  tributaries  of 
the  Purus,  entering  above  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro  and  com- 
ing from  the  Southwest,  and  flows,  like  these,  through  the 
boundless  forest  tracts  of  the  Amazon  River  country.  It  rises 
in  elevated  ground,  East  of  the  Andes,  in  a  still  partly  explored 

135 


DR.    CARLOS    DE    CERQUEIRA    PINTO, 
Inventor   of  a   Smokeless    Process   for   Curing   Rubber. 


136 


territory,  very  difficult  of  access,  at  about  the  eleventh 
degree  of  southern  latitude  and  70^  longitude  and  flows  at 
first  eastward,  to  the  Bolivian  boundary  at  69°.  From  this  point, 
the  Acre  flows  first  Northeast,  with  a  constantly  increasing 
northerly  inclination,  until  it  enters  the  Central  Purus  at  8  2-3 
South  latitude  and  67^  longitude.  The  small  steamers  run 
from  this  point  to  the  junction  with  the  Amazon  and  on  to 
Manaos  in  six  to  eight  days. 

In  November  more  than  40  large  and  small  steamers  are 
despatched  from  Para  and  Manaos.  They  carry  supplies  for  the 
rubber  district  and  load,  for  the  return  trip,  fine  rubber  and 
other  caoutchouc  varieties.  Such  steamers  have,  as  a  rule,  a 
cargo  capacity  of  100  to  300  tons.  The  largest,  taking  as  much 
as  500  tons,  are  at  most  50  to  60  meters  in  length. 

The  journey  from  Manaos  to  the  Purus,  is  usually  accomp- 
lished in  one  day.  The  Purus  is  a  stately  river,  which,  in  its 
lower  reaches  often  attains  a  breadth  of  1,000  meters  and  al- 
though it  gradually  narrows,  it  always  retains,  until  its  con- 
fluence with  the  Acre,  a  breadth  of  several  hundred  meters. 

The  trip  to  that  point  takes,  as  a  rule,  12  to  16  days  and  ex- 
cept for  the  last  stretch  of  about  three  days,  is  open  all  the  year. 
Here  is  the  place  called  Cochoeiras,  where  there  are  rapids, 
which  during  the  dry  season  of  about  four  months,  obstruct  steam 
navigation  on  the  Puriis.  The  Acre,  on  the  other  hand,  has  a 
narrow  but  deep  bed,  is  rarely  over  100  meters  wide  and  often 
contracts  to  50  to  60  meters.  In  the  dense  forests,  there  may 
be  seen,  from  time  to  time,  clearings  on  the  banks  with  the 
Baracaos  that  are  the  stations  for  the  fine  rubber  business.  Also 
occasional  larger  places  of  residence,  villages  and  little  towns, 
where  longer  stops  are  often  made,  are  encountered. 

We  first  pass  Antimary,  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  similarly 
named.  Then  we  soon  reach  Porto  de  Acre,  a  large  residential 
place,  where  the  steamers  must  have  their  papers  passed  and 
pay  duties. 

This  is  the  beginning  of  the  Federal  territory,  which  is  sepa- 
rate from  the  State  of  Amazonas  and  is  subject  to  the  central 
government  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Hardly  a  day's  journey  up  stream 
lies  the  little  town  of  Empreza,  with  its  picturesque  houses  em- 
bowered in  foliage.  It  is  the  most  important  place  on  the  lower 
Acre  and  the  second  largest  residential  town  in  Acre  Territory. 

About  three  days'  journey  up  the  river  the  town  of  Hapury 
is  reached,  which  contains  several  thousand  inhabitants  and 
enjoys  a  considerable  trade.  It  is  the  largest  and  most  important 
town  in  the  entire  Acre  territory. 

When  at  times  in  the  river's  narrow  water  course  there  are 
a  dozen  large  steamers  lying  and  a  lively  business  intercourse 

138 


is  everywhere  in  progress,  the  scene,  in  the  depth  of  the  pri- 
meval forest,  creates  quite  an  imposing  impression.  Hapury  is 
considered  already  in  the  district  of  Alta  Acre  and  from  this 
point,  the  difficulty  of  navigation  increases,  the  breadth  and 
volume  of  water  of  the  river  alike  decreasing.  Very  rapidly 
during  long,  rainless  periods,  the  river  water  level  lowers  and 
the  further  progress  of  the  steamers  becomes  impossible.  They 
must  anchor  at  a  convenient  place  and  wait  until  the  river  rises 
again.  In  lower  Acre,  where  water  is  more  plentiful,  such  in- 
terruptions are  less  frequent,  but  in  upper  Acre  they  are  the  rule. 
The  farther  the  river  is  ascended  the  more  frequent  are  these 
compulsory  stoppages,  often  lasting  eight  to  fourteen  days.  High- 
water  in  the  river  often  lasts  but  a  few  days,  so  that  the  steam- 
ers must  stop  again.  Then  too,  the  many  windings  of  the  river 
make  navigation  exceedingly  difficult.  On  the  upper  Acre  travel 
is  by  day  only,  boats  laying  to  at  night. 

Following  the  course  of  the  river,  85  kilometers  above  Ha- 
pury, Igarape  de  Bahia  is  reached,  on  the  Bolivian  border  and 
then  the  little  town  of  Cobija.  It  is  situated  on  the  right  bank 
and  belongs  to  Bolivia,  whereas  on  the  left  bank,  Brazilian  terri- 
tory continues.  The  steamers  here  are  subject  to  the  Bolivian 
customs  regulations  and  must  pay  duty  on  all  goods  destined 
for  Bolivia. 

A  large  number  of  the  steamers  that  start  from  Manaos,  go 
only  as  far  as  this  or  as  Hapury,  only  a  few  venture  to  penetrate 
further  and  are  not  deterred  by  the  great  loss  of  time. 

Above  Cobija  are  some  of  the  most  productive  rubber  sec- 
tions where  there  are  goods  to  discharge  and  rubber  to  be  loaded. 
A  few  steamers  follow  the  Bolivian  border  up  to  the  terminal 
station,  Tacna.  Here,  as  a  small  affluent  from  the  right,  the 
Taverija  flows  into  the  Acre,  forming  at  the  same  time  the 
boundary  between  Bolivia  and  Peru. 

Bolivia  maintains  here  a  small  military  post,  whereas  there 
is  only  a  commissioner  for  Peru.  If  the  steamer  has  met  with 
favorable  conditions,  the  trip  from  Manaos  may  have  been  made 
in  a  month ;  ordinarily,  however,  it  takes  two  or  three  months. 
The  return  trip  is  made  much  faster,  some  steamers,  that  do 
not  stop,  make  Manaos  from  upper  Acre  in  fourteen  days. 

Above  Tacna  there  are  but  two  rubber  forest  districts  or 
seringaes  as  they  are  termed,  the  Seringal  Auristella  on  the 
Peruvian  side  and  the  Seringal  St.  Francisco  on  the  Brazilian 
side.  The  latter  is  a  very  productive  and  still  young  rubber 
forest,  farther  up  the  river  the  fine  rubber  trees  suddenly  cease 
and  their  output  is  no  longer  remunerative. 

The  climate,  like  that  of  the  Amazon  country,  is  humid  and 
hot,  with  a  rainy  and  a  dry  season.     The  southerly  situation, 

140 


RUBBER  TREE  AT  HAPURY. 
141 


however,  causes  a  somewhat  more  marked  difference  between 
the  two  seasons.  In  April,  the  rains  become  less  frequent  and 
then,  until  October,  there  are  no  or  but  very  few  heavy  precipi- 
tations ;  some  times  the  fallen  leaves  on  the  ground  in  the  woods 
are  dried  out  and  even  the  dew  is  absent.  There  then  occur, 
however,  especially  in  the  months  of  June,  July  and  August, 
steady  cold  spells,  when  the  thermometer,  in  the  morning,  sinks 
to  8°  C.  and  often  does  not  go  above  12°  C.  during  the  day. 
These  so-called  Friazens  last  several  days  and  are  recurrent,  but 
cease  in  September.  Thunder  storms  and  violent  rain  storms 
begin  in  October,  so  that  in  November  the  rivers  are  usually 
navigable  again.  In  December  the  first  steamships  arrive.  In 
January  and  February  a  rainless  period  is  frequent,  which  is 
followed,  in  March  and  April  again,  by  a  rainy  spell.  Many 
steamers  undertake,  usually  at  this  time,  their  second  voyage 
and  if  they  have  good  fortune  they  make  three  trips  to  upper 
Acre. 

The  copious  precipitation,  the  heat  and  the  fertile  soil  have 
produced  in  Acre  a  luxuriant  primeval  forest,  which  is  higher 
and  more  densely  overgrown  than  that  of  the  lower  river  courses 
of  the  Amazon  country.  Trees  of  40  to  50  meters  in  height 
are  not  infrequent,  they  form  a  forest  of  varied  composition. 
There  may  be  found  here  representatives  of  the  most  diverse 
plant  families ;  some  of  which,  in  the  cool  season,  lose  their 
foliage.  The  forest  is  densely  overgrown  with  plants,  shoots 
and  shrubs.  Where  a  thorny  growth,  Tapoea  and  other  under- 
brush gets  the  upper  hand,  a  machete  or  axe  is  necessary  in 
forcing  a  path  through  the  virgin  forest. 

Various  kinds  of  trees  are  used  by  the  natives  for  building 
houses,  fashioning  canoes  and  other  purposes.  For  export,  how- 
ever, neither  these  useful  woods  nor  many  other  products  of 
the  forest,  have  attained  any  importance.  The  fruit  of  the  cacao 
tree  and  Para  nuts,  rot  on  the  ground,  transportation  to  Manaos 
being  too  costly.  The  caoutchouc  products  are,  however,  present 
in  such  abundance  and  possess  such  great  value,  that  their  ac- 
quisition and  transportation  recompenses  every  effort  and  have 
been  the  cause  of  the  development  in  these  distant  primeval 
forests  of  a  busy  life. 

The  water  in  the  deeply  hollowed  bed  of  the  Acre,  swells 
in  flood  time  and  submerges  the  land  on  the  adjacent  shores 
and  some  sand  banks,  but  for  the  most  part  does  not  penetrate 
into  the  forest  or  only  for  a  short  period.  The  flooded  forests  of 
the  lower  water  courses,  often  miles  in  extent,  are  lacking  and 
the  fine  rubber  trees  grown  on  land  free  from  inundation,  often 
reaches  up  into  the  hills  in  the  hilly  or  mountainous  district. 

The  fine  rubber  tree  belongs  to  the  Hevea  brasiliensis,  Mull. 

142 


Arg.  or  to  their  near  families.  It  is  higher  and  more  vigorous 
than  the  trees  in  the  inundated  districts  and  has  somewhat  larger 
and  longer  seeds.  Trees  of  more  than  40  meters  in  height  and 
up  to  five  meters  in  circumference,  are  not  rare.  Whether  the 
Acre  fine  rubber  tree  is  a  special  species  or  a  variety  of  Hevea 
Braziliensis,  can  be  determined  only  by  a  very  painstaking  in- 
vestigation. In  yield  of  rubber  and  quality  of  product,  the  Acre 
tree  surpasses  that  of  the  inundated  districts. 

Of  other  Hevea  varieties  Hevea  cuneata  Hub.  the  Seringa 
vermelha,  occurs  but  rarely,  also  sapium  tapuru,  Ule,  is  found 
but  rarely.  Castilloa  Ulei,  Warb.,  the  "caucho"  of  the  Peru- 
vians, is  quite  plentiful  and  is  generally  utilized,  its  exploitation 
being  regarded  sometimes  as  more  profitable  than  the  fine  rub- 
ber. Just  as  in  the  Amazon  country,  under  the  title  "caout- 
chouc," the  product  of  castilloa  is  mainly  understood,  so,  in 
Acre,  for  the  yield  of  the  Hevea,  the  name  "fine  rubber"  is  used. 

At  present,  there  are  on  the  Acre  no  unowned,  unused  lands, 
but  some  of  the  seringaes  in  operation  are  capable  of  further 
development.  In  lower  Acre  there  are  many  seringaes  that  are 
badly  exhausted  and  furnish  but  a  small  yield.  The  rubber  col- 
lectors too,  who,  as  is  well-known,  cut  down  the  Castilloa  trees, 
are  compelled  to  go  further  into  upper  Acre  all  the  time  to  find 
profitable  work. 

Acre  territory  is  regarded  as  the  most  productive  fine  rubber 
section,  especially  on  its  borders ;  on  the  little  river  Hapury  and 
towards  the  Taurumano,  which  belongs  to  the  water-shed  of  the 
Madeira,  the  output  is  said  to  be  exceedingly  rich.  In  propor- 
tion to  their  longitudinal  extent,  the  extent  of  the  woods  belong- 
ing to  Acre,  in  breadth,  is  comparatively  small,  for  in  a  one  or 
two  days'  journey,  it  is  possible  to  reach  the  district  of  another 
river.  The  rubber  forest  properties  are  consequently  all  meas- 
ured from  the  river  and  include  usually,  a  territory  of  several 
hundred  square  kilometers,  often  in  fact,  equal  to  small  princi- 
palities. Many  owners  have  also  several  seringaes,  often  in 
Bolivia  and  Brazil  simultaneously. 

In  such  a^  seringal  on  the  river  bank,  the  dwelling  with  ware- 
house accommodations  and  sales-place,  is  erected,  known  as  the 
Baracao  in  contradistinction  to  the  small  Baraken  of  the  work 
people. 

About  the  Baracao  the  forest  is  usually  cleared  to  afford  land 
for  planting  and  pasture  for  the  cattle. 

The  management  of  the  seringal  and  its  entire  business,  pro- 
ceeds from  the  Baracao.  According  to  the  extent  of  the  seringal, 
from  twenty  to  several  hundred  work  people  are  employed  on  it. 
Through  the  entire  forest,  paths,  known  as  estradas,  are  laid  out, 
from  which  all  obstructive  brush  and  hanging  creepers,  are  cut 

144 


away  with  the  machete.  These  estradas,  where  possible,  are  laid 
out  in  loops,  so  that  they  lead  back  to  the  starting  point  and  are 
so  planned  as  to  include  from  100  to  150  fine  rubber  trees. 

Every  seringueiro  is  alloted  two  or  three  estradas  to  work. 
These  seringueiros  live  in  the  interior  of  the  forest  in  special 
baraken,  either  with  their  families,  or  usually  several  together. 
The  different  baraken  are  connected  by  broader  roads  that  can 
be  traversed  by  mules. 

In  May  or  June,  after  the  estradas  have  previously  been  put 
in  order,  the  gathering  of  fine  rubber  commences.  The  serin- 
gueiro  proceeds  in  the  early  morning  into  the  forest,  taps  the 
trees  in  the  customary  manner  with  the  little  axe  Maschadi,  at- 
taches the  tin  cups  and  afterwards  collects  the  accumulated 
milk.  It  is  afternoon  when  he  reaches  home  with  the  milk  he 
has  collected  in  a  rubber  bag  or  in  tin  cans,  to  be  smoked.  In  a 
little  hut,  roofed  with  palm-straw,  the  smoking  is  proceeded  with. 
Pieces  of  wood  that  give  a  copious  smoke  are  burned  and  over 
the  fire  is  placed  a  tin  cylinder,  known  as  a  Boiao.  The  serin- 
gueiro first  collects,  in  the  middle  of  a  round,  strong  stick,  some 
coagulated  rubber  milk  and  pours  the  still  fluid  milk,  which  he 
has  in  a  large  tin  dish,  over  this  place,  turning  the  stick  so  that 
the  smoke  can  impregnate  the  coagulating  caoutchouc.  He  con- 
tinues this  operation  until  the  milk  in  the  tin  pan  is  all  used  up. 

By  this  means,  a  rubber  ball  is  produced  which  is  enlarged 
in  the  succeeding  days  until  it  weighs  about  50  kilos.  The  stick 
is  then  withdrawn  and  the  ball,  stored  with  others,  until  the 
mule  train  comes  for  it.  A  mule  can  carry  on  each  side  of  him 
50  kilos  without  over-exerting  himself. 

If,  however,  the  weight  of  the  ball  exceeds  sixty  kilos,  the 
mules  are  overloaded  and  the  seringueiro  who  made  the  balls 
pays  a  fine.  Where  the  dwelling  place  of  the  seringueiro  is  near 
a  river  and  the  fine  rubber  can  be  transported  by  canoe,  larger 
balls,  that  often  weigh  more  than  100  kilos  are  made. 

This  gathering  and  preparation  of  the  fine  rubber  differs 
materially  from  that  practiced  on  the  lower  water  courses  where 
the. .milk  is  smoked  with  much  greater  care,  on  the  shovel  shaped 
mould  and  the  balls,  as  a  rule,  weigh  but  10  to  30  kilos.  On  the 
Acre,  the  seringueiro  will  gather  in  a  day  15  to  25  liters  of  milk, 
which  will  yield  7  to  12  kilos  of  dry  rubber,  whereas  in  the 
inundated  section  he  will  be  able  to  gather  but  one-half  or  one- 
third  as  much.  Of  course  the  seringueiro  can  smoke  the  milk 
much  more  carefully  and  take  certain  precautions,  as  for  in- 
stance, that  the  rubber-milk  is  never  heated.  On  the  Acre  on 
the  other  hand,  the  milk  is  warmed  as  a  rule,  because  otherwise 
the  large  mass  is  difficult  to  manage.  There  is  no  question  but 
that  in  this  manner  the  quality  of  the  rubber,  which  is  prepared 

146 


from  the  best  material  and  certainly  would  yield  the  best  product, 
suffers.  Nevertheless  the  rubber 'balls  from  Acre,  prepared  in 
the  primitive  manner,  furnish  a  good  and  much  sought  for  rubber. 
The  tapping  of  the  trees  also  is  often  effected  with  less  care, 
small  steel  axes  being  used  that  make  wounds  that  are  too  deep 
and  as  a  result,  the  seringaes  in  the  Acre  are  exhausted  more 
quickly  than  those  in  the  inundated  district. 

From  the  baracaos  the  stations  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
small  mule  trains  proceed  to  the  interior  to  bring  in  the  rubber 
balls,  which  are  laid  in  rows,  usually  in  the  open  air,  so  that  they 
will  be  thoroughly  dried  before  loading  them  on  the  steamer.  By 
the  same  mules,  food  and  supplies  are  sent  to  the  seringueiros 
in  the  forest.  When  the  rubber  gathering  ceases  in  December 
or  January,  the  seringueiro  has  other  important  work  to  do. 
Roads  must  be  opened  and  repaired,  clearings  made  in  the  forest, 
huts  erected,  wood  cut  and  finally  the  paths  set  in  order  for  the 
approaching  harvest.  During  the  rainy  season,  the  steamer  brings 
new  supplies  and  food,  which  the  seringueiro  must  buy  at  the 
Baracao. 

Concerning  the  duties  the  seringueiro  has  to  perform,  there 
are  special  regulations,  which  prevail  in  most  seringae  and  of 
which  written  or  printed  copies  are  often  furnished. 

To  each  seringueiro  is  allotted  two  or  three  estradas,  each 
with  120  to  200  trees.  For  this  he  pays  15  per  cent  of  his  gather- 
ing of  fine  rubber  to  the  owner  of  the  forest  and  an  additional 
10  per  cent  if  he  uses  the  mules  for  transportation.  The  remain- 
ing rubber  belongs  to  the  seringueiro  in  so  far  as  he  does  not 
have  to  pay  it  for  goods  purchased.  As  a  rule,  the  owner  pur- 
chases a  portion  of  the  product  on  the  spot  at  a  price  that  is,  of 
course,  somewhat  lower  than  is  paid  in  Manaos,  the  remaining 
portion  is  shipped,  for  account  of  the  seringueiro,  to  Para  and 
Manaos,  and  he  receives  the  full  market  price  for  it,  of  course, 
after  deducting  freight  and  duties.  The  balance  is  placed  to  the 
credit  of  the  seringueiro  and  paid  to  the  firm  representing  the 
owner  in  Manaos  or  Para.  Certain  items,  for  instance,  the  price 
of  Sernamby,  consisting  of  residual  scraps  of  rubber,  the  serin- 
gueiro also  receives  in  Acre.  In  some  cases  payments  are  made 
in  rubber  products,  a  form  of  payment  quite  common  in  other 
transactions. 

On  the  upper  Acre,  a  seringueiro  will  usually  collect  in  a 
day  as  much  milk  as  will  yield  from  6  to  15  kilos  of  fine  rubber. 
Two  liters  of  this  milk  yield  a  kilo  of  dry  rubber,  whereas  with 
Manihot  Glaziovi,  3  liters  are  required  for  this.  Exceptional 
cases  occur  where  the  seringueiro  furnishes  milk  for  20  to  25 
kilos  of  fine  rubber  in  one  day.  Daily  collections  of  more  than 
40  liters,  however,  a  single  worker  can  hardly  control  and  he 

148 


RUBBER    TREE    OF    NEARLY    FIVE    METERS 
IN  CIRCUMFERENCE  M±Ll^Kb 


149 


must  then  have  an  assistant  for  carrying-  and  smoking.  The 
yearly  production  of  a  seringueiro  amounts,  in  the  better  rubber 
forest  properties,  to  upwards  of  1,000  kilos  of  dry  rubber. 

Some  owners  offer  a  reward,  such  as  for  instance,  a  gold 
watch,  for  the  most  industrious  and  luckiest  seringueiro.  On 
the  Seringal  S.  Francisco,  for  the  crop  year  1911-1912,  a  serin- 
gueiro won  the  gold  watch  who  had  collected  2,500  kilos.  The 
annual  highest  yield  of  caoutchouc  from  the  Castilloa  was  only 
1,700  kilos,  for  the  forest  there  in  regard  to  Castilloa  is  already 
very  much  exhausted.  Otherwise  the  yields  of  this  rubber  are 
more  variable  and  higher  than  those  of  fine  rubber. 

If  the  price  of  rubber  rules  high,  a  seringueiro  has  quite  a 
considerable  income  and  with  a  little  frugality  can  acquire  a 
property. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  price  of  rubber  drops  below  five 
milreis,  the  seringueiro  has  trouble  to  make  both  ends  meet 
with  his  income  and  easily  gets  into  debt.  The  supplies  that  he 
must  purchase  from  the  proprietor  or  his  representative  (lessee) 
are  very  expensive.  The  customs  duties,  the  long  haul  and 
consequently  high  freight,  the  risk,  the  different  losses,  which 
the  proprietor  suffers  through  debtor  workmen,  and  the  occasional 
high  price  of  fine  rubber,  which  forces  all  prices  upward,  makes 
everything  in  upper  Acre  very  dear. 

The  prices  of  some  of  the  most  necessary  supplies  and  goods 
are  about  as  follows. 

1  kilo  mandioka  flour,  %l/2  milreis. 

1  kilo  coffee,  4  milreis. 

1  kilo  sugar,  3  milreis. 

1  kilo  beans,  3  milreis. 

1  kilo  rice,  %T/2  milreis. 

1  kilo  dried  meat,  5  milreis. 

1  kilo  fresh  meat,  4  milreis. 

1  chicken,  30  milreis. 

1   dozen  eggs,  10  milreis. 

1  bottle  brandy,  8  milreis. 

1   meter  goods,  3  to  6  milreis. 

1  woolen  quilt,  120  to  140  milreis. 

1  pair  boots,  40  to  60  milreis. 

1  cake  washing  soap,  3^  milreis. 

1  piece  fine  soap,  5  milreis. 

1  machete,  14  to  22  milreis. 

1  package  matches,  3  milreis. 

1  carbine,  200  milreis. 

1  kilo  powder,  28  milreis. 

I  kilo  shot,  4  milreis. 

150 


1  pound  sterling  is  now  worth  about  15  milreis,  so  that  four 
shillings  (about  one  dollar  U.  S.)=3  milreis. 

On  the  lower  Acre,  goods  are  much  cheaper  and  they  fall 
still  lower  down  to  Manaos,  where  many  articles  only  cost  one- 
third  or  one-fourth  as  much,  or  even  less,  but  Manaos  is  never- 
theless an  expensive  city. 

The  large  profits  which  fine  rubber  often  yields,  make  all 
labor  very  dear.  For  this  reason  agriculture  has  developed  but 
slowly  and  most  food  supplies  must  therefore  be  imported. 
Nevertheless  cattle  raising  is  constantly  growing,  stock  being 
brought  in  from  Bolivia.  Bananas,  the  tubers  of  the  sweet  man- 
diola,  beans  and  some  vegetables  are  extensively  grown,  especi- 
ally by  Peruvians  and  Bolivians.  Often  the  seringueiro  will 
plant  some  bananas  and  cultivate  a  small  patch  of  cleared  land, 
but  this  is  not  favorably  regarded  by  the  proprietor.  In  some 
seringaes,  even  the  marriage  of  the  seringueiros  is  opposed; 
everything  is  directed  towards  obtaining  the  largest  possible 
quantity  of  fine  rubber. 

Although  the  Acre  is  not  very  full  of  fish,  fishing,  in  the  dry 
season,  is  attended  with  some  success,  which  particularly  benefits 
dwellers  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Hunting  also,  in  some 
sections,  furnishes  residents  with  fresh  meat.  As  animals  of  the 
chase  may  be  enumerated,  monkeys,  Taca,  Aguti,  wild  swine, 
small  varieties  of  deer,  sloths,  tapirs,  various  wood  fowl  and 
ducks. 

Very  different  from  the  arrangements  customary,  as  a  rule,  in 
the  Acre,  are  the  conditions  in  the  Bolivian  rubber  districts, 
which  for  the  most  part  are  owned  by  a  single  proprietor,  N. 
Suarez  y  Hermanos.  He  is  said  to  produce  1,500  tons  of  fine 
rubber  per  year,  and  could  produce  more  than  four  times  the 
quantity  if  the  entire  forest  concession,  which  is  probably  as 
large  as  South  Germany  was  all  put  in  operation.  One  portion 
of  this  rubber  forest  is  situated  on  the  Acre,  but  the  greater  part 
includes  the  Southwestern  tributaries  of  the  Rio  Madeira.  In 
the  properties  on  the  Acre,  the  working  methods  are  adapted  to 
Brazilian  customs,  especially  where  Brazilian  seringueiros  are 
employed. 

While  in  the  Seringaes,  trade  is  conducted  mostly  through 
the  Baracoes,  there  are  in  some  places,  notably  in  Cobija,  Ha- 
pury  and  Empreza,  various  business  houses,  through  which  the 
owners  of  seringaes,  captains  of  ships  and  other  persons,  can 
supply  their  wants,  for  before  the  steamer  returns,  there  is  often 
a  scarcity  in  some  products. 

The  retail  trade  is  mainly  in  the  hands  of  so-called  Turks, 
various  Orientals,  from  Syria,  Arabia,  Tunis  and  Morocco.  They 
have  large  boats,  propelled  by  poles  and  oars  and  which  contain 

152 


the  goods  in  a  covered  space.  These  Turks  travel  as  pedlars 
for  years  about  on  the  rivers,  selling  their  goods  for  money  or 
rubber.  This  commerce  is  designated  Regatao  and  is  not  favored 
by  proprietors,  who  sometimes  forbid  stopping  in  their  territory. 
The  seringueiro  can  not  only  buy  cheaper  of  them,  but  can  dis- 
pose of  caoutchouc  surreptitiously. 

Those  who  encounter  favorable  conditions  on  the  Acre,  who 
are  diligent  and  economical,  can,  by  working  in  the  rubber  in- 
dustry, or  in  any  other  field  of  activity,  soon  acquire  a  property. 
The  majority,  however,  squander  their  earnings  on  trips  to 
Manaos,  Para  or  Ceara,  or  suffer  from  sickness. 

Although  hygienic  conditions  on  the  Acre  have  improved  with 
the  times  and  there  are  numerous  healthy  localities,  malaria 
still  prevails  there  a  great  deal,  and  other  diseases,  notably  beri- 
beri, are  often  fatally  prevalent.  Many  privations,  caused  by 
the  difficulties  of  travel,  and  a  certain  amount  of  luxury,  made 
possible  by  the  large  earnings,  often  contrast  with  one  another. 

From  Acre,  during  the  year,  about  5,000  tons  of  fine  rubber, 
inclusive  of  other  rubber  products,  are  exported,  of  which  cer- 
tainly a  portion  comes  from  the  adjacent  territory. 

This  quantity,  according  to  the  price  of  rubber,  will  represent 
a  value  of  20,000  to  75,000  contos  of  reis,  about  $5,000,000  to 
$15,000,000.  These  are  figures  that  play  a  part  in  the  total  output 
of  rubber,  the  importance  of  which  is  increased  by  its  quality. 


3,     THE  ACRE  TERRITORY. 

Previous  to  the  Treaty  of  Petropolis,  in  1903,  between  Brazil 
and  Bolivia,  the  Acre  Territory  formed  part  of  the  State  of 
Amazonas,  one  portion  being,  in  fact,  still  in  dispute.  By  virtue 
of  this  treaty  the  Acre  Territory  became  Brazilian,  Brazil  in 
exchange  paying  £2,000,000  to  Bolivia,  an  indemnity  to  an  Ameri- 
can syndicate,  and  undertaking  to  construct  the  Madeira  Mamore 
Railway. 

The  Congress  then  empowered  the  Federal  authorities  to  ad- 
minister the  Territory  until  the  question  should  be  finally  settled. 
The  administration  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  other 
States.  Recent  laws  have  tended  to  decentralize  the  administra- 
tion, the  latest  being  one  giving  municipal  independence.  The 
three  provinces  of  the  Territory  are : 

Upper  Purus  (capital  Senna  Madureira). 

Upper  Jurua  (capital  Cruzeiro  do  Sul),  and 

Upper  Acre  (capital  Empreza). 

154 


TRANSPORT  OF  RUBBER  BISCUITS. 


155 


The  only  product  and  export  is  rubber,  the  proportions  during 
1911  being: 

Upper  Purus 4,042,000  kilos 

Upper  Jurua 3,008,000  kilos 

Upper  Acre 3,526,000  kilos 

One  of  the  most  serious  questions  has  been  that  relating  to 
the  ownership  of  land.  The  Federal  Congress  is  prepared  to 
solve  this  problem  satisfactorily,  by  recognizing  bona-fide  hold- 
ings dating  from  before  the  Treaty  of  Petropolis,  giving  prefer- 
ence to  property  deeds  granted  by  the  State  of  Amazonas,  next 
to  those  given  by  the  Republic  of  Bolivia  during  its  brief  occupa- 
tion, and  then  to  any  possession  obtained  in  good  faith  during 
the  whole  interregnum,  up  to  the  date  of  the  last  law  passed. 

GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

For  the  protection  of  Brazilian  rubber,  and  in  order  to  facili- 
tate and  develop  its  culture,  as  well  as  its  final  handling,  a  Fede- 
ral law  was  passed  on  January  5th  of  the  current  year.  (No. 
2513  A.) 

Its  principal  measures  are  especially  concerned  with  Amazon 
rubber  and  the  country  in  which  it  is  produced,  viz. :  the  States 
of  Amazonas  and  Matto-Grosso  and  the  Acre  Territory.  The 
scheme  embraces  the  construction  of  railways  and  roads,  the 
clearing  of  rivers,  reduction  of  import  duties  and  of  dues  on  river 
navigation,  the  establishing  of  coal  depots,  living  accommodation 
for  laborers,  centres  for  the  production  of  foodstuff,  model  cattle 
farms,  prizes  to  rubber  planters  and  exemption  from  import 
duties  on. all  material  for  rubber  working. 

Besides  the  Madeira  Mamore  Railway,  which  benefits  prin- 
cipally the  Madeira  River  district  of  Matto-Grosso,  and  a  further 
branch  of  the  same  railway,  now  in  course  of  construction,  and 
which  is  intended  to  open  up  the  Bolivian  district  of  the  Beni 
River,  the  Brazilian  Government  will  construct  another  railroad 
(in  the  route  of  which  the  Commercial  Association  has  suggested 
some  alterations)  to  commence  from  Manaos  and  to  work  through 
the  region  of  the  Rio  Branco,  to  link  up  with  the  English  railroad 
already  constructed  in  British  Guiana  up  to  the  Brazilian  bound- 
ary. This  railway  will  open  up  to  the  State  of  Amazonas  a  huge 
tract  of  country  admirably  suited  to  agriculture  of  all  kinds,  and 
to  colonization  by  Europeans. 

The  Association  Commercial  will  also  propose  the  construc- 
tion of  a  further  railroad  to  communicate  by  means  of  branch 
lines  with  the  various  provinces  of  the  Acre  Territory,  in  order 
to  bring  the  product  of  that  region  to  the  lower  Purus  River,  at 
a  point  which  will  admit  of  free  access  to  steamers  of  deep  draft 
to  and  from  Manaos. 

156 


DR.  CERQUEIRA  PINTO'S  PROCESS 
EXTRA  FINE  PARA 

This  rubber  was  cured  for  export  in  the  rubber  estate  'TRA- 
CEMA,"  in  the  Federal  Acre,  Amazonia,  Brazil,  by  Dr.  Cerqueira 
Pinto's  process  of  smokeless  coagulation.  (See  The  India  Rubber 
World,  August  1,  1909,  page  396,  and  copy  of  the  same  journal 
of  1st  September,  the  same  year,  page  435.) 

The  enclosed  sample  contains  68  kilos  and  belongs  to  the  lot 
of  5.000  kilos  (11.025  lbs.)  that  Dr.  Cerqueira  Pinto  holds  to  be 
sold  in  New  York. 

Dr.  Cerqueira  Pinto's  process  is  one  of  coagulation  of  the 
latex  of  the  "Hevea  Brasiliensis"  by  an  ingredient  patented  by 
the  Brazilian  Government — "LACTINA" — absolutely  free  of  any 
acid. 

The  latex  after  the  coagulation  is  pressed  through  a  cylinder 
in  order  to  dry  out. 

This  rubber  was  tested  and  classified  as  of  STANDARD  type 
by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

It  oflers  the  resistance  of  2,010  pounds  per  square  inch  accord- 
ing to  the  experiments  made  by  The  Manhattan  Rubber  Com- 
pany in  July,  1909.  This  rubber  means  a  saving  to  the  manu- 
facturer of  at  least  20  per  cent,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Favorite 
Rubber  Mfg.  Co.  of  New  Jersey  and  of  25  per  cent,  as  per  the 
analysis  made  in  London. 

The  author  of  this  process  calls  the  Jury's  attention  to  his 
rubbers  and  is  willing  to  furnish  with  the  sufficient  quantity  in 
order  to  prove  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  assertions.  It 
vulcanizes  as  well  by  acid  as  by  vapor.  Dr.  Cerqueira  Pinto  will 
prepare,  during  the  Exposition,  in  September,  before  the  public 
and  the  manufacturers,  his  rubbers  with  both  Hevea  and  Castilloa 
latexes,  yield  of  the  trees  in  October,  1911,  in  the  Federal  Acre, 
Brazil.  He  shall  present  as  well  a  large  quantity  of  similar  rub- 
bers cured  by  the  author  on  different  occasions.  They  are  true 
rubbers  of  commerce  cured  for  export.  They  are  clothed  by  a 
vegetal  varnish,  soluble  in  water,  which  is  also  a  discovery  of 
Dr.  Cerqueira  Pinto,  to  prevent  the  mould. 
CASTILLOA  OR  CAUCHO. 

Prepared  by  the  process  of  Dr.  Carlos  de  Cerqueira  Pinto. 
(See  the  India  Rubber  World  of  September  1st,  1909,  page  435). 

The  included  sample  weighs  68  kilos.  The  author  holds  1,400 
pounds  of  this  quality  to  be  sold  in  New  York  market. 

The  article  was  cured  by  rubber  laborers  of  the  estate  "Ira- 
cema"  in  the  Federal  Acre,  Amazonia,  Brazil,  during  the  months 
of  July  to  December,  1911.  They  are  rubbers  of  commerce  and 
cured  for  export. 

158 


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THE  STATE 

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MATTO  GROSSO 


165 


THE  STATE  OF  MATTO  GROSSO  IN  THE  THIRD 

INTERNATIONAL  RUBBER  EXPOSITION 

IN  NEW  YORK,  1912 

BY 

LEOPOLDO  DE  MATTOS 


Dr.  Joaquim  Augusto  da  Costa  Marques,  President  of  the  State 
of  Matto  Grosso,  1911-1915 


The  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  Brazil,  at  the  Third  International' 
Rubber  Exposition  in  New  York,  1912 


Of  the  twenty  states  composing  the  Republic  of  the  United  States 
of  Brazil,  Matto  Grosso  is  second  to  the  largest  in  its  territorial 
extension.  It  is  situated  south  of  the  States  Amazon  and  Para, 
having  on  the  East  the  States  of  Goyaz,  S.  Paulo  and  Parana, 
on  the  South  the  Republic  of  Paraguay,  and  on  the  West  Bolivia. 

It  embraces  on  the  map  that  portion  of  the  earth's  surface 
which  extends,  approximately  from  the  fourth  degree  South  of 
the  Equator  to  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn.  Its  immense  area  is 
about  50,175  square  leagues,  or  according  to  Mr.  Candido  Mendes 
it  has  an  area  of  1,379,651  square  meters.  Its  population  is 
actually  about  350,000,  not  including  a  considerable  number  of 
uncivilized  Indians,  whose  improvement  is  carried  steadily  for- 
ward by  the  united  efforts  of  the  State  and  Federal  Governments. 

Without  mentioning  its  capital,  the  principal  cities  of  the 
State  are  Corumba,  S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  Miranda,  Nioae,  Focoue, 
Santa  Aunade  Paranabyba,  Diamantina,  Rosario,  Livramento, 
and  the  new  and  recentlv  incorporated  municipality,  S.  Antonio 
de  Rio  Madeira.  Its  capital,  Cuyaba,  is  situated  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  river  of  the  same  name,  288  meters  above  sea  level,  and 
owes  its  origin  to  the  Paulistas,  who  formed  colonies  in  the 
western  part  of  Brazil  during  the  first  part  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century. 

In  1719  Paschoal  Moreira  Cabral  ascending  the  River  Coxipe 
Mirim,  founded  on  the  left  bank  of  this  stream  a  village  which 

167 


was  called  Forquilha,  but  to-day  is  the  city  of  Cuyaba,  where 
in  those  early  days  a  rich  gold  mine  was  discovered.  In  those 
days,  according  to  Elyses  Reelus,  the  vast  region  of  Matto 
Grosso,  was  hardly  anything  except  a  narrow,  ordinary  zone, 
nothing  more  than  an  immense  solitude  of  undefined  limits  and 
unknown,  but  given  over  to  Indians  and  wild  beasts.  It  was 
joined  to  the  rest  of  Brazil  by  the  lonely  paths  of  hunters,  and  by 
channels  of  the  rivers  that  had  their  origin  there.  Really  in 
those  days  communication  with  the  remainder  of  Brazil  was  as 
difficult  as  with  Matto  Grosso.  It  is  within  the  memory  of  many 
and  known  to  those  who  read  the  history  of  Brazil,  that  it  was 
impossible  for  the  troops  who  were  enrolled  and  equipped  in  the 
coast  provinces,  to  go  directly  to  the  aid  of  their  compatriots  in 
Matto  Grosso,  when  the  Brazilian  people  had  to  respond  to  the 
declaration  of  war  by  Paraguay. 

With  the  thousands  of  obstructions  in  their  path,  a  portion 
of  the  army  composed  of  3,000  men,  which  left  Rio  de  Janeiro 
in  April,  1865,  and  which  could  only  be  organized  in  Uberaba, 
in  the  upper  basin  of  Parana,  was  reduced  to  about  700,  when  it 
arrived  at  that  safe  and  impregnable  place. 

The  war  with  Paraguay  being  ended,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
the  victory  gained  by  Brazil  opened  wide  the  ports  of  Matto 
Grosso,  for  the  natural  declivity  of  the  soil,  the  course  of  the 
streams,  with  the  free  river  navigation,  guaranteed  by  her  tri- 
umph, established  a  regular  line  of  packets  between  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  Corumba  and  Cuyaba,  by  way  of  the  River  La  Plata, 
passing  by  Montevideo,  Buenos  Ayres  and  Assumption. 

The  fluvial  ways  of  the  Guapore,  Madeira  and  Amazon 
were  constantly  used  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  after  the  ex- 
ploration made  by  Manoel  de  Lima  in  1742.  Navigation  by 
the  Guapore  river  to  the  Madeira,  in  short  to  S.  Antonio,  which 
is  the  initial  point  of  navigation  on  this  last  mentioned  river,  is 
long  and  full  of  difficulties.  Withal,  Matto  Grosso  is  gradually 
approaching  the  coasts  of  Brazil  by  means  of  railroads,  such  as 
the  Northwestern  Road,  which  will  shortly  unite  it  with  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  and  the  railroad,  already  projected,  which,  parting  from 
S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  will  reach  the  old  city  of  Matto  Grosso, 
where  the  Gaupore  begins  to  be  navigable,  to  Guajara-Mirim,  the 
terminal  point  of  the  great  Madeira-Marmore  Railway. 

In  a  short  time,  as  can  readily  be  seen,  these  roads  will  be  a 
reality,  the  navigable  rivers  being  united  by  the  stretches  of  rail- 
roads between  them.  The  Paranapanema  and  the  Ivahy  in  the 
States  of  Parana  and  S.  Paulo,  continue  on  the  one  side  of  the 
Parana  River,  ascending  the  Ivanhema,  and  the  Brilhante,  as 
far  as  the  neighboring  mountains  of  Miranda,  in  the  meridional 
part  of  Matto  Grosso. 

168 


The  magnificent  regions  of  Matto  Grosso  promise  in  the 
near  future,  to  be  great  centers  of  population  and  consequently 
a  future  focus  of  civilization  by  probable  fusion  of  the  different 
elements  of  immigration,  which  will  certainly  come  together 
there  in  the  flight  of  time,  and  the  increased  facilities  in  the  way 
of  transportation.  Somewhere  it  has  been  said,  that  colonization 
without  doubt  will  come  from  the  South,  from  Paraguay  and 
Argentina ;  but  at  the  present  time,  with  the  completion  of  the 
Madeira-Marmore  Railway,  undoubtedly  colonization  will  also 
come  from  the  North,  communication  being  facilitated  by  the 
Amazon  River,  the  Madeira  being  one  of  its  tributaries,  on  the 
right  bank  of  which  is  situated  Porto  Velho,  the  initial  point  of  the 
Madeira-Marmore  Railway.  These  effects  are  already  commenc- 
ing to  produce  results  as  may  be  seen  from  founding  of  a  new 
municipality  and  district  of  Matto  Grosso,  called  the  municipality 
of  St.  Antonio  of  the  River  Madeira,  reached  by  the  above- 
mentioned  railway  and  to  which  region  we  will  devote  a  special 
chapter  later  on. 

Already  one  sees  the  farthest  northern  side  of  Matto  Grosso 
filling  with  people,  while  the  southenr  side  really  contains  the 
greater  number  of  inhabitants. 

Matto  Grosso  is  one  of  the  regions  of  least  roughness  on  the 
continent  of  South  America.  There  are  no  elevations  of  the 
land  which  constitute  real  mountains. 

The  elevated  lands  have  their  points  of  culmination  in  the 
western  bases  of  the  Mantiqueira,  the  Aymores,  and  the  Espin- 
hago,  and  continue,  gradually  lowering  from  this  side  to  the 
West  of  Goyaz,  and  on  the  other  side  are  the  elevated  lands  at 
the  base  of  the  Andes,  which  incline  to  the  East  with  its  sup- 
ports. Elysee  Reclus  says  that  an  intermediary  plain,  separating 
the  two  geographical  districts,  goes  winding  in  the  form  of  a 
valley,  that  in  other  ages  certainly  was  a  maritime  strait  separat- 
ing the  two  islands — Western  Brazil  and  the  Andes. 

To-day  rivers  run  in  the  depression  where  formerly  there 
was  a  sea  and  the  plain  is  actually  full  of  alluvial  soil.  The  true 
center  of  South  America  is  between  the  two  cities  of  Cuyaba  and 
Corumba. 

To  those  who  do  not  know  the  region,  the  slopes  of  the  hills 
are  mistaken  for  mountains  and  geographical  maps  show  a  chain 
of  mountains  more  or  less  continuous,  between  the  basins  of  the 
Tapajoz  and  the  Madeira,  between  the  head  waters  of  the  same 
Tapajoz  and  Paraguay  and  finally  between  the  Tapajoz  and  the 
Araguaya.  Nevertheless  this  semi-circular  plain  exists  only  in 
fragments,  because  the  elevations  which  are  found  in  the  plains 
of  the  upper  Paraguay  and  its  tributaries  are  only  a  high,  level 
ground  of  horizontal  sections  or  slight  elevations  and  worn  away 
by  the  rivers  which  flow  into  the  great  Amazon, 

170 


REMOVING  THE  BALL  OF  RUBBER  AFTER  IT  HAS 
BEEN  SMOKED. 


171 


They  are  rather  tablelands  than  mountains,  for  they  do  not 
reach  an  elevation,  except  in  some  parts  of  the  tableland,  of  more 
than  100  meters,  while  the  mean  elevation  of  a  range  of  moun- 
tains is  500  meters. 

This  geographic  district  in  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  is  in- 
differently called  the  cordillara  of  Parecys,  but  does  not  present  a 
mountainous  aspect  except  on  the  South  side.  On  this  scarred 
side,  the  rock  is  cut  into  peaks,  or  cut  away  into  obelisks.  On 
the  other  side  towards  the  Tapajoz  and  Xingu,  a  long  range  ex- 
tends and  gradually  declines  into  the  plains  of  the  State  of 
Amazonas.  D'Orbiguy  found  in  the  high  northern  part  of  Matto 
Grosso,  the  existence  of  beds  pertaining  to  the  carboniferous  age 
and  corresponding  to  rocks  of  the  same  nature  which  on  the 
opposite  side  of  that  region  are  found  in  the  Bolivian  bases  of 
the  Sierra  of  Santa  Cruz.  After  this  Hart  and  Derby  verified 
the  fact  that  the  southern  parts  of  the  Araxa,  which  are  the 
elevated  borders  of  the  tableland,  date  probably  from  paleozoic 
epochs,  and  there  are  found  the  carboniferous,  devonian  and 
silurian  beds.  Fossil  beds  found  by  the  Geologist  Smith  below 
the  hillocks  of  the  plains,  50  kilometers  east  of  Cuyaba,  place 
these  facts  beyond  doubt.  More  to  the  North  is  the  zone  of 
the  rocky  places,  which  in  links  cut  the  Madeira,  Tapajoz,  Xingu, 
Tocatius  and  their  tributaries,  the  walls  denuded  by  erosion,  are 
all  of  the  crystalline  formation,  granite,  gueis,  porphory  and 
quartzite.  The  elevations  that  unroll  in  the  direction  of  the 
South,  between  the  sources  of  the  Paraguay  and  Araguaya,  fol- 
lowing between  the  Paraguay  and  the  Parana,  do  not  present  the 
same  characteristics  as  the  tablelands  of  the  North.  The  high 
parts  of  Western  Matto  Grosso  were  separated  from  the  East 
and  West  sides  and  devastated  by  lateral  excavations,  take  in 
certain  places  the  aspects  of  true  mountain  chains,  and  for  this 
reason  they  are  named,  from  the  North  to  the  South,  the  Sierras 
of  S.  Jeronimo,  Maracaju  and  Anhauhaly. 

Eruptive  rocks,  called  basaltic  in  this  country,  probably  por- 
phyritic  rend  the  beds  of  sandstone,  of  which  the  mountains  are 
composed  and  appear  to  form  by  their  disintegration  "red  lands," 
similar  to  those  which  give  the  farmers  of  S.  Paulo  their  abun- 
dant harvests  of  coffee. 

In  a  sort  of  circle  limited  by  a  semicircle  of  elevations  iso- 
lated masses  have  been  lifted  up,  rocks  whose  outlines,  seen 
from  a  distance,  have  a  perfect  regularity.  The  hills  proper,  for 
the  greater  part,  have  geometrical  forms,  which  it  should  be 
said,  great  forces  have  crumbled,  leaving  smooth  walls  like  the 
sides  of  pyramids.  The  tops  of  the  tablelands,  as  well  as  summits, 
have  been  maimed  by  a  force  certainly  corresponding  to 
the  other  summits,  which  now  may  be  seen  as  part  of  the  same 

172 


COLLECTING  THE  LATEX. 
173 


prairie.  According  to  Taunay,  who  traveled  over  the  country, 
these  masses  of  sandstone  in  horizontal  beds  regularly  placed 
one  above  another,  are  formed  of  marshy  sediment  deposited 
by  the  sea  of  fresh  water,  which  in  former  times  covered  this 
region. 

The  ruins  of  these  hills  and  slopes  contributed  also  to  change 
the  physiognomy  of  the  landscape.  These  excoriations  were 
picked  up  and  dragged  by  the  rivers,  to  form  new  beds  and 
soil,  and  much  rock  disappeared  below  the  continued  crumbling 
of  the  mountains.  Others  show  nothing  except  their  summits 
above  the  land  of  recent  formation.  Masses  that  held  them,  to 
the  tablelands  and  the  chains  of  the  interior  are  separated  from 
them,  because  their  bases  are  buried  and  they  emerge  abruptly 
from  the  soil.  These  distinctive  peaks  to  which  the  name  of 
itambea  has  been  given,  raise  their  heads  above  a  sea  of  trees, 
like  some  great  buildings  erected  by  the  hand  of  man.  To  the 
East,  the  southern  part  of  Matto  Grosso,  they  range  themselves 
in  files  and  group  themselves  in  archipelagoes,  each  time  becom- 
ing higher  and  more  numerous.  The  part  that  goes  towards  the 
West  are  solitary  peaks  on  the  circle  of  the  horizon  and  may  be 
seen  along  the  banks  of  the  River  Paraguay,  and  even  on  the 
other  side  of  the  same. 

The  Upper  Guarpore,  Itenez  of  the  Bolivians,  although  situ- 
ated in  the  immense  basin  of  the  Amazon  as  a  tributary  to  the 
Madeira  River  by  the  Marmore,  belongs  to  the  State  of  Matto 
Grosso,  for  the  city  of  this  name  was  founded  on  its  banks  and 
nearly  the  whole  population  of  the  state  accumulated  in  this  de- 
pression, through  whose  western  half  the  river  finds  its  way.  Its 
principal  source  is  very  obscure.  It  rises  in  a.  grotto  along  the 
the  border  of  the  Araxa,  and  takes  first  a  southerly  course,  parallel 
to  other  rivers  which  descend  towards  Paraguay.  On  leaving 
the  last  hills  it  curves  to  the  West,  and  afterwards  to  the  North- 
west, where  already  enlarged  by  numerous  tributaries  it  crosses 
the  plain,  where  there  is  found  the  city  named  at  its  founding 
Villa  Bella  and  to-day  called  Matto  Grosso. 

The  Paraguay  is  one  of  the  most  known  rivers  of  South 
America,  as  a  way  of  navigation,  as  Elysee  Reclus  affirms.  Few 
rivers  have  such  a  slight  declination  in  proportion  to  their  length. 
Oastelnaw  says  that  it  rises  at  an  altitude  of  305  meters,  in 
places  where  tranquil  waters  glide  slowly  to  the  sea,  the  altitude 
of  the  land  being  scarcely  200  meters.  At  a  point  4,000  kilo- 
meters from  the  sea,  the  declination  is  scarcely  5  centimeters. 
Therefore,  steamers  of  light  draft  can  freelv  ascend  to  the  con- 
fines of  Brazil,  far  to  the  North  of  the  two  Republics  of  Argen- 
tine and  Paraguay  and  arrive  at  the  base  of  the  tableland  by 
the  principal  river  and  its  tributaries,  Jauru,  Sepotuba,  Cuyaba, 

174 


S.  Lourengo  and  Taquary.  The  Paraguay  presents  another  not- 
able phenomenon,  which  is  the  crossing  its  sources  with  those  of 
the  tributaries  of  the  Amazon. 

The  River  Jauru  approaches  the  Guapore  so  closely  that  it 
would  be  easy  to  make  a  canal  from  the  waters  of  this  western 
river  to  a  tributary  of  the  Jauru.  Another  tributary  of  the  Para- 
guay, the  Aguapehy,  is  only  separated  from  the  Alegre  River, 
which  flows  by  the  old  city  of  Villa  Bella,  to-day  called  Matto 
Grosso,  by  a  low  and  narrow  isthmus,  which  according  to 
Leverger  measures  5,280  meters.  During  1772,  and  even  later, 
it  was  proposed  to  cut  a  canal  at  different  places  in  this  isthmus, 
but  the  work  was  never  done  because  of  the  little  commerce  of 
that  locality.  Certainly,  railroads,  in  the  near  future,  will  supply 
the  absence  of  a  canal  and  will  join  Montevideo  to  Para,  passing 
through  the  larger  part  of  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  and  by  a 
continental  navigable  water  way  of  8,300  kilometers,  as  Bar- 
tholomo  Bossi  says. 

The  Paraguay  River  has  as  its  principal  tributaries  the  S. 
Lourengo,  enlarged  by  the  waters  of  the  Cuyaba,  the  Taquary, 
the  Mondego,  and  the  Apa,  the  last  marking  the  boundary  be- 
tween Brazil  and  the  Republic  of  Paraguay.  At  the  time  of 
the  floods,  its  level,  and  that  of  its  tributaries,  rises  10  to  11 
meters  and  overflows  to  the  right  and  the  left,  forming  a  tem- 
porary sea,  which  extends  to  great  distances,  being  lost  to  sight 
and  continuing  in  lakes.  The  first  Spanish  explorers  gave  it  the 
name  of  Lake  Xarayes,  in  its  lower  section,  where  it  receives 
the  nearly  dormant  waters  of  its  principal  tributaries.  This  lake  is 
about  600  kilometers  in  length  from  North  to  South,  between 
the  mouths  of  Jauru  and  the  hills  of  "Fecho-dos-Morros,"  and  in 
certain  places  reaches  a  width  of  250  kilometers. 

It  is  not  permanent,  as  you  already  know,  but  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  there  are  overflows,  which  the  Indians  called 
bays  and  rightly,  for  here  there  were  bays  of  an  ancient  sea, 
which  to-day  are  nearly  dry,  and  most  of  these  lakes  are  in  con- 
stant communication  with  the  Paraguay  River,  either  by  under- 
ground openings,  or  by  long  canals.  These  latter  are  called 
the  lakes  of  Uberaba,  Gaiaba,  Mandiore,  Caceres,  etc.  Some  of 
these  lakes  contain  only  fresh  water  from  the  overflowing  rivers, 
while  others  being  ancient  cavities  are  now  filled  with  salt  water, 
and  have  in  their  depths  beds  of  salt,  which  give  to  the  liquid  a 
soapy  characteristic.  It  is  singular  that  this  contrast  by  nature 
of  fresh  and  salt  water  is  also  found  in  the  lands  of  the  vast 
plains,  and  thus  it  is,  that  these  extensive  fields,  covered  by  a 
rich  alluvial  soil,  bear  heavy  forests.  Here  the  agriculturist  can 
certainly  obtain  marvelous  harvests.  It  is  certainly  true  that 
these  fields  of  Matto  Grosso  will  serve  for  agriculture  as  well  as 
pastoral  industry. 

176 


The  height  of  the  lands,  formed  in  the  center  of  this  vast 
valley,  hinders  the  tributary  from  remaining  in  a  regular  channel, 
and  the  waters  escaping  from  both  sides  ramify  in  a  labyrinth  of 
rivers  and  false  rivers.  The  lateral  branches  follow  in  the  zones 
of  the  lakes,  to  the  confluence  of  the  Taquary  and  Miranda 
Rivers,  which  descend  from  the  mountains  on  the  East.  These 
receive  in  the  upper  region,  a  tributary  called  the  Coxim,  which 
travelers  consider  one  of  the  most  picturesque  rivers  of  Brazil. 
It  is  curious  to  see,  in  some  places,  the  waters  of  the  Coxim 
crowded  between  perpendicular  walls  50  meters  in  height  and 
the  small  vessels  floating  on  their  bosom  at  the  bottom  of  an 
opening  not  more  than  10  or  12  meters  in  width. 

THE  CLIMATE 

The  climate  of  Matto  Grosso  is  relatively  warm  in  the  lower 
parts  and  those  overflowed  by  the  high  waters  of  the  Paraguay 
and  other  rivers.  In  the  region  of  the  tablelands  the  climate 
is  cool  and  healthy.  The  movement  of  the  air  columns  is  de- 
termined by  the  open  passage  way  between  the  Andes  moun- 
tains and  the  highlands  of  Brazil,  as  well  as  in  the  center  of  the 
South  American  continent,  and  are  held  by  it.  The  warm  winds, 
coming  from  the  region  of  the  Amazon,  are  succeeded  in  the 
Winter  time  by  the  winds  which  blow  from  the  cool  pampas. 
In  the  high  parts  of  the  circle  of  hills  and  mountains  which  sur- 
round the  tablelands  of  Matto  Grosso,  the  cold  goes  below-  the 
freezing  point.  The  copious  rains  brought  by  the  cooling  winds 
refresh  the  central  tablelands  of  Brazil  and  then  dash  themselves 
against  the  sides  of  the  Andes.  They  fall  with  great  regularity 
in  the  Summer  and  are  frequently  accompanied  by  thunder- 
storms. According  to  observations  taken  by  some,  the  annual 
fall  of  water  is  3  meters,  and  in  Cuyaba  about  135  days  of  the 
ordinary  year  are  rainy  ones. 

ITS  SITUATION 

The  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  from  its  geographical  situation 
in  the  Continent  of  South  America,  placed  at  the  point  of  separa- 
tion of  the  two  great  basins  of  Brazil,  contains  at  the  same  time 
the  flowers  and  faunae  of  the  Amazon  and  Plata  regions.  Never- 
theless, the  tropical  flora  predominates  with  its  infinite  variety 
of  vegetable  forms  in  all  the  forest  regions,  that  is  to  say,  along 
the  banks  of  the  rivers,  and  among  the  famous  species  found 
along  the  shores  of  the  River-Sea,  there  are  few  which  are  not 
found  in  the  region  of  the  Upper  Cuapore,  and  specimens  of 
which  may  not  be  seen. 

177 


In  no  other  parts,  like  here,  will  the  development  of  Cipo's 
palm  be  found.  In  1875,  a  boundary  commission  discovered 
one  of  these  palms  Urumbamba  (Calamus  procumbeus)  or  Des 
Moncus  rudentum  de  Martins,  of  more  than  20  meters  in  length, 
with  hardly  the  thickness  of  a  centimeter.  The  cotton  tree,  to- 
bacco, ipecac,  there  called  "poya,"  grow  spontaneously  on  the 
plains  and  in  the  forests.  The  last  grows  abundantly  in  the 
forests  of  the  Upper  Jauru  and  the  neighboring  rivers.  Mate, 
the  most  notable  product  of  the  tablelands  of  the  South,  and 
which  has  made  some  regions  rich,  as  the  State  of  Parana,  grows 
here  spontaneously  between  the  Rivers  Miranda  and  Apa,  with- 
out speaking  of  the  seringa,  which  is  found  in  immense  and  thick 
forests  in  a  district  that  extends  from  Cuyaba  to  Madeira  and 
which  will  be  the  special  subject  of  this  leaflet. 

The  woods  for  building  are  very  abundant  and  of  a  great 
variety,  such  as  Brazil  wood,  Jacaranda,  Peroba,  Canella,  Cedro, 
Jequitiba,  Massaran-duba,  Arco,  Ferro,  Setim  and  Vinhatico. 

Among  the  animals  are  found  deer,  tapir,  panther,  and  also 
a  large  number  of  small  animals  usually  found  in  tropical  regions. 
The  fowls  and  birds  along  the  streams  and  the  songsters  in  the 
forests  are,  because  of  their  variety,  almost  innumerable.  The 
ostrich  is  found  in  the  region  of  the  pampas  and  on  the  margins 
of  the  upper  Paraguay.  There  are  many  varieties  of  fish  in 
the  large  and  small  rivers. 

In  the  mineral  kingdom,  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  has 
numerous  mines  of  gold,  silver,  platinum,  copper,  tin,  mercury, 
coal,  iron,  precious  stones,  diamonds,  etc.  There  are  already 
four  English  companies  developing  gold  mines.  There  is  also 
granite,  crystal,  malacacheta,  limestone,  sal-geunna,  etc.  Finally, 
in  the  region  of  the  Araxa,  there  are  sulphur  mineral  springs. 

In  Matto  Grosso  are  found  the  largest  cattle  ranches,  not  only 
as  to  their  territorial  extent,  but  also  as  to  the  number  of  horses 
and  cattle,  some  of  them  numbering  100,000  head.  The  number 
of  cattle  is  calculated  to  be  2,000,500,000  head.  Although  the 
transportation  of  cattle  from  Matto  Grosso  to  Rio  de  Janeiro 
is  difficult,  it  is  generally  done  by  a  road  running  West  to 
Uberaba,  where  they  pass  the  Winter  season  of  two  or  three 
months  and  being  recuperated  are  sent  by  railroad  to  Rio  de 
Janeiro.  Hence  it  is  easy  to  see  that  with  the  completion  of  the 
Northwestern  Railway  of  Brazil,  the  problem  of  transportation 
to  the  coast  will  be  solved.  Also  with  the  completion  of  the 
Madeira-Marmore  Railway  the  navigable  rivers  of  Matto  Grosso, 
will  in  short  time,  be  linked  with  the  port  of  Para.  Before  long 
another  railway  will  extend  from  S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  the  ancient 
city  of  Matto  Grosso,  where  the  River  Guapore  commences  to 
be  navigable  to  Guajara-Mirim,  the  terminal  point  of  the  Ma- 

178 


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deira-Marmore  Railway.  This  will  solve  the  problem  of  the 
transportation  of  cattle  to  the  States  of  Amazonas,  Para,  etc. 

From  this  brief  exposition  one  concludes  that  the  State  of 
Matto  Grosso  is  very  rich  in  cattle  and  gold,  diamonds  and  coffee, 
tobacco  and  mate,  rubber  and  ipecac,  and  all  other  products 
of  the  tropical  and  temperate  zone.  Without  doubt  it  will  come 
to  be  one  of  the  largest  and  richest  empires  of  the  world. 

Endowed  with  a  warm  climate  in  the  North,  it  has  in  other 
regions  a  temperate  and  even  cold  climate.  The  tablelands 
contain  a  rare  accumulation  of  wealth,  yet  little  explored.  Natur- 
ally people,  in  their  activities  and  progressive  conflict  for  a  liveli- 
hood, will  come  here  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  By  their  intelli- 
gence and  endeavors  they  will  make  that  part  of  Brazil  an  in- 
dustrial, commercial  and  maritime  mart.  Here  from  the  fusion 
of  the  different  races,  a  great  civilization  will  arise,  and  man- 
kind will  progress  onward  and  upward  to  the  final  conquest  of 
the  land. 


RUBBER 

The  rubber  sent  to  this  Exposition,  comes  from  the  vast 
regions  served  by  the  Rivers  Machados,  or  Dgy-Parana,  Jamary, 
Jacy-Parana,  Mutum-Parana,  Paca-Nova  and  Guapore  and  their 
tributaries,  which  in  turn  are  tributaries  of  the  great  Madeira 
River,  on  whose  right  bank  is  situated  the  new  municipality  St. 
Antonio  do  Rio  Madeira,  installed  July  2,  1912. 

The  new  municipality  has  the  following  limits :  Starting  at 
the  falls  of  St.  Antonio  do  Rio  Madeira,  on  parallel  8°  48',  the 
River  Madeira  above ;  the  River  Madeira  above  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Guarope  on  parallel  of  12°,  and  on  this  parallel  to  its  inter- 
section with  the  River  Camarare;  on  this  river  below  to  its  con- 
fluence with  the  Juruema ;  on  this  river  below  to  the  point  where 
it  unites  with  the  Arinos;  on  the  parallel  at  this  point  which 
passes  to  its  intersection  with  S.  Manuel  River;  it  follows  this 
river  down  to  its  confluence  with  the  Tapajoz;  and  from  this 
point  back  to  St.  Antonio  Falls,  along  the  line  that  divides 
Matto  Grosso  from  the  Amazonas.  All  this  immense  territory 
of  the  new  municipality  is  traversed  on  the  North  by  the 
Madeira-Marmore  Railway,  which  was  completed  and  opened 
for  traffic,  September  7,  1912.  It  starts  at  Porto  Velho  and 
terminates  at  Guaraja-Mirim,  a  distance  of  390  kilometers. 

The  Madeira-Marmore  Railroad,  in  addition  to  the  stations 
already  opened  in  Porto  Velho,  Candelaria,  St.  Antonio,  Jacy- 
Parana,  Abuna,  Villa  Murtinho,  and  Guarjara-Mirim  has  46  places 
of  stopping,  which  corresponds  to  the  number  of  camps. 

Among  the  ways  of  communication  that  St.  Antonio  do  Rio 

180 


Madeira,  the  new  municipality,  has  with  the  neighboring  States 
of  Amazonas  and  Para,  as  well  as  with  the  capital  and  other 
cities  of  Matto  Grosso,  we  would  mention  the  telegraph  line 
which  the  Federal  Government  is  constructing  along  with  its 
public  road  ways.  There  are  two  gangs  of  engineers  and  work- 
men engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  telegraph  line.  One 
started  at  St.  Antonio  in  the  North,  and  the  other  at  Diamantina 
in  the  South.  Leaving  St.  Antonio  the  telegraph  line  follows 
parallel  8°  48'  until  it  comes  to  the  River  Jamary,  a  distance  of 
about  60  kilometers.  Arriving  there  its  course  is  changed  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Dgy-Parana  River,  to  a  place  called  Urupa. 
Here  it  will  meet  and  be  joined  to  the  line  coming  from  the 
South.  On  June  3,  1912,  at  the  very  headwaters  of  the  Dgy- 
Parana  River,  the  telegraph  station  of  Jose  Bonifacio  was  opened, 
by  the  gang  from  the  South,  while  those  from  the  North  had, 
previous  to  this,  opened  the  stations  of  St.  Antoino  do  Rio 
Madeira  and  Jamary.  This  notable  undertaking  is  under  the 
efficient  and  extraordinary  devotion  of  the  Colonel  of  Engineers 
of  the  Brazilian  army,  Candido  Roudon,  who  has  a  record  for 
the  construction  of  telegraph  lines  in  Brazil  and  South  America. 

Within  a  year,  more  or  less,  the  telegraph  line  will  follow 
along  a  roadway  40  meters  wide,  and  about  200  leagues  in  length, 
extending  from  Cuyaba  to  St.  Antonio  on  the  Madeira  River. 
This  immense  roadway  of  communication  cutting  all  this  vast 
interior,  rich  in  rubber  and  gold,  will  have  a  telegraph  station 
every  10  leagues.  In  Porto  Velho,  the  initial  point  of  the  Ma- 
deira-Marmore  Railway,  there  is  already  working  a  wireless 
telegraph  station  of  the  Marconi  system.  There  is  daily  com- 
munication with  Manaos.  Also  with  Iquitos  and  with  the  Federal 
department  at  Acre,  Purus  and  Jurua. 

Transportation  from  Manaos  to  St.  Antonio  on  the  Madeira 
River  is  made  in  good  condition  and  comfortable  vessels.  Dur- 
ing the  time  of  low  water,  that  is  during  the  dry  season  of  the 
great  Amazon  and  its  tributaries,  only  vessels  of  500  tons  can 
ascend  to  those  places  from  Manaos.  In  the  time  of  high  waters, 
when  the  valley  of  the  entire  Amazon  is  overflowed,  the  trans- 
Atlantic  steamers  of  7,000  to  9,000  tons,  ascend  in  four  days 
from  Manaos.  This  has  been  done  in  the  transportation  of 
materials  for  the  construction  of  the  Madeira-Marmore  Railway. 
The  vessels  easily  approached  and  made  fast  to  the  two  wharves 
made  of  wood,  one  of  which  is  in  front  of  the  offices  at  Porto 
Velho  and  the  other  at  Candelaria.  The  Government  of  the 
Republic,  however,  has  determined  to  build  of  stone  and  lime 
the  wharves  between  Porto  Velho  and  St.  Antonio  on  the  River 
Madeira. 

The  small  steamers  which  navigate  during  the  dry  season, 

181 


I 


have  accommodations  for  first  and  third  class  passengers,  are 
lighted  by  electricity,  have  an  artificial  ice  plant  and  make  the 
voyage  from  Manaos  to  Porto  Velho  and  St.  Antonio  in  about 
five  days,  at  the  average  speed  of  ten  miles  an  hour,  calling  at 
the  small  Amazonian  ports  and  cities  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  Madeira  River.  In  descending  the  river  both  the  large  and 
small  steamers  make  the  voyage  in  from  three  to  four  days. 

The  rubber  from  St.  Antonio  on  the  Madeira  River  is  of  the 
same  physical  and  chemical  constituents  as  all  the  rubber  of  the 
Amazon  Valley.  This  is  worth  remembering,  when  we  think 
of  this  new  municipality  in  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  being 
the  frontier  of  the  States  of  Amazonas  and  Para. 

In  the  Manaos  market,  where  the  rubber  comes  by  way  of 
the  Madeira  River,  and  in  that  of  Para,  which  it  reaches  by  way 
of  River  Tapajoz,  it  is  always  quoted  at  the  same  price  and 
under  the  same  conditions  as  those  produced  in  the  regions  of 
the  Amazon  proper. 

The  production  has  been  increasing  annually  since  1906  and 
is  actually  about  2,000,000  of  kilos  annually.  This  will  cer- 
tainly increase  to  an  amount  that  cannot  be  foretold,  with  the 
completion  of  the  Madeira-Marmore  Railway,  the  wagon  road 
and  telegraph  line  and  the  constant  improvements  in  navigation. 
During  the  first  six  months  of  the  current  year,  the  produc- 
tion of  rubber  was  greater  than  for  the  same  length  of  time  in 
any  year  since  1907,  as  can  be  verified  from  the  report  annexed. 
In  those  regions,  between  Cuyaba  and  the  new  municipality, 
there  exist  rubber  (seringa)  forests  capable  of  producing  in  one 
year,  more  than  40,000,000  of  kilos  of  rubber. 

To  attain  this  ideal,  it  is  only  necessary  that  the  captains  of 
industry  should  join  in  the  development  of  extraction.  This 
fountain  shoots  forth  from  the  earth  spontaneously  without  the 
necessity  of  cultivation.  To  encourage  and  stimulate  those  who 
wish  to  employ  there,  their  endeavors  and  capital,  the  law  of  the 
State  of  Matto  Grosso  offers  special  favors.  These  are  offered 
to  those  who  wish  to  develop  the  vast  forests  of  rubber  existing, 
as  well  as  to  those  who  wish  to  plant  and  cultivate  the  Sypho- 
nia  elastica. 

Speaking  of  the  Rubber  Exposition  soon  to  be  held  in  New 
York,  it  is  proper  to  call  attention  to  the  well-known  fact  that 
already  the  capitalists  of  North  America  have  begun  the  develop- 
ment of  that  region. 

The  large  capitalist,  Percival  Farquhar,  of  North  America, 
has  already  incorporated  two  rubber  companies,  the  Muller  and 
Guapore,  under  the  social  terms  of  July,  for  the  purpose  not 
only  of  developing  the  extraction  industry  of  the  hevea  brazil- 
iensis,  but  also  for  the  different  branches  of  agriculture  necessary 
for  the  making  of  sugar,  cotton  cloth,  etc. 

183 


Actually  the  extraction  of  rubber  in  the  vast  seringaes  of 
the  municipality  of  St.  Antonio  of  the  River  Madeira  employ 
about  5,000  workmen.  This  number  will  constantly  increase,  as 
the  said  municipality  becomes  the  center  of  the  currents  of  com- 
merce, industry  and  agriculture,  from  Matto  Grosso  and  the 
Republic  of  Bolivia. 

This  is  easy  to  imagine,  when  we  see  that  the  Madeira-Mar- 
more Railway  will  place  it  in  communication  to  the  South  with 
S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  by  means  of  the  River  Guapore,  and  by  the 
railway,  which,  from  S.  Luiz  de  Caceres  will  extend  to  the  ancient 
city  of  Matto  Grosso,  thus  joining  the  basin  of  the  Plata — by 
means  of  the  Paraguay  River,  to  the  basin  of  the  River  Amazon. 
And  to  the  West  the  same  Madeira-Marmore  Railway,  reaching 
to  Ribeira-Alta,  will  bind  the  vast  and  rich  regions  of  the  Boli- 
vian Republic  to  the  basin  of  the  Amazon,  by  means  of  the  Ma- 
deira River.  Presently  the  chief  engineer  and  director  of  the 
Madeira-Marmore  Railway,  Mr.  H.  Dose,  will  leave  for  that 
region,  to  begin  the  construction  of  the  branch  Guajara  Mirim — 
Matto  Grosso,  to  Ribeira  Alta,  Bolivia,  which  will  be  finished 
within  a  year  and  a  half,  and  be  about  100  meters  long. 

In  addition  to  this  with  the  prompt  construction  within  a  year 
of  the  wagon — telegraphic  line — roadway  from  Cuyaba  to  St. 
Antonio  on  the  Madeira  River,  we  can  easily  conclude,  that  the 
municipality  of  St.  Antonio  on  the  Madeira  River,  will  indeed 
become  the  converging  point  of  these  great  and  strong  currents 
of  development  of  progress  and  of  civilization. 

In  conclusion  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  this  territory 
herein  described  serves  not  only  for  the  production  of  rubber, 
which  there,  as  in  the  whole  valley  of  the  Amazon,  is  native 
and  grows  according  to  the  laws  of  nature.  It  also  should  be 
mentioned  that  cacao  and  cotton  are  native,  while  there  can 
be  planted  and  cultivated,  sugar  cane,  coffee,  vanilla,  corn,  beans, 
rice,  tobacco,  potatoes,  brazil  nut,  etc.  The  Madeira-Marmore 
Railway  Company  has  the  concession  of  a  vast  amount  of  land 
along  its  line,  which  it  proposes  to  plant  in  cacao,  sugar  cane, 
etc.,  thus  improving  these  lands. 

From  this  description,  in  which  we  have  endeavored  to  set 
forth  only  the  truth,  giving  the  facts  concerning  the  region  in 
question,  it  can  be  concluded  that  the  new  municipality  of  St. 
Antonio  on  the  River  Madeira,  which  actually  exports  to  the  mar- 
kets of  the  world,  via  Para  and  Manaos,  about  2,000,000  kilos 
of  rubber,  will  in  a  few  years,  with  immigration  and  from  other 
causes,  export  from  10  to  15,000,000  kilos. 

The  author  of  this  article  asks  indulgence  for  any  shortcom- 
ings it  may  contain,  as  it  was  written  in  the  spare  moments 
he  could  find,  while  laboriously  collecting  the  samples  of  rubber 

184 


and  putting  them  on  board  the  steamer  at  Manaos  for  New  York. 
The  samples  of  rubber  from  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  which 
are  seen  in  this  International  Rubber  Exposition,  have  been  ex- 
hibited by  order  of  the  Government  and  at  the  expense  of  the 
Commercial  Association  of  the  Amazonas. 

STATE  OF  MATTO  GROSSO 

Inspection  Department  of  the  North 

Table  showing  the  production  of  rubber  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Madeira  and  upper  Tapajoz,  for  the  years  1907-1912,  in  compari- 
son with  the  first  six  months  of  1912 : 

Origin  1907  1908  1909  1910  1911  1912 

Machado     and     Jamary..     1,092,454     1,252,194         910,982     1,295,605     1,317,917     1,315,995 

lacy-Parana,    Upper    Ma- 
deira    and     More 98,464         152,713         150,759         142,458         201,562         259,612 

Upper     Tapajoz      156,034         167,841         107,458  73,688         113.453 

1,190,918     1,560,941     1,229,582     1,545,521     1,593,167     1,689,060 


I  Sli 


TAPPING  THE  RUBBER  TREE. 
187 


1.    STATE  OF  MATTO-GROSSO 

The  capital,  Cuyaba,  and  the  principal  port,  Curumba,  belong 
to  the  hydrographical-  system  of  the  Paraguay  River. 

The  boundaries  of  this  State,  formed  by  the  Amazon  River, 
embrace  the  upper  basin  of  the  Madeira  River,  which  as  the  result 
of  an  agreement  with  the  State  of  Amazonas  appertains  to  Matto- 
Grosso,  whereas  it  previously  belonged  to  the  former  State. 

This  territory  constitutes  the  judicial  and  administrative  prov- 
ince of  Santo  Antonio  do  Madeira. 

The  executive  and  fiscal  administration  is  entrusted  to  a  Fis- 
cal Delegate  in  Manaos.  The  collection  of  duties  is  attended  to 
by  the  State  Customs  of  Amazonas. 

The  rubber  producing  rivers,  with  total  production  of  Matto- 
Grosso,  are : 

1908  1909  1910  1911 

Kilos  Kilos  Kilos  Kilos 

Machado  and  Jamary.      1,253,000     911,000     1,296,000     1,318,000 
Jacy. Parana,  Upper  Ma- 
deira &  Mamore.  . . .        153,000     150,000        143,000        202,000 

During  the  first  half  of  the  current  year  the  production  has 
shown  a  considerable  increase,  this  being  largely  due  to  the  open- 
ing and  developing  of  the  Madeira  Mamore  Railway,  which  passes 
through  the  whole  region  of  these  rivers. 


188 


WALKING  THROUGH  THE   FOREST   ESTATE  OF 
FIDEL  BACA  &  CO.,  JACY  PARANA  RIVER. 


ESTADO  DE  MATTO-GROSSO  NA 
EXPOSICAO  INTERNACIONAL  DE 
BORRACHA  DE  1912  EM  NEW- YORK 


POR 


LEOPOLDO  DE  MATTOS 


NEW- YORK,   1912 


DR.   JOAQUIM  AUGUSTO  DA  COSTA   MARQUES 

PRES1DENTE  DO  ESTADO  DE  MATTO-GROSSO 
1911-1915 


O  ESTADO  DE  MATTO-GROSSO  NA 

EXPOSICAO  DE  BORRACHA  DE 

1912  EM  NEW- YORK 


Dos  vinte  Estados  que  compoem  a  Republica  dos  Estados 
Unidos  do  Brasil,  Matto-Grosso  esta  collocado  em  segundo 
piano,  pela  sua  extensao  territorial  situado  ao  Sul  dos  Estados 
do  Amazonas  e  Para,  tendo  a  Leste  os  Estados  de  Goyaz,  S. 
Paulo  e  Parana,  ao  Sul  a  Republica  do  Paraguay  e  a  Oeste  a 
Republica  da  Bolivia. 

Abrange  no  mappa  uma  porgao  que  vae  approximadamente 
desde  o  14°  grao  ao  Sul  do  Equador  ate  o  Tropico  do  Capricornio. 
Sua  area  immensa  e  de  cerca  de  50175  leguas  quadradas,  segundo 
Candido  Mendes,  ou  melhor,  tern  uma  superficie  de  1379651  kilo- 
metro  s  quadrados. 

Sua  populacao  e  actualmente  de  cerca  de  350,000  habitantes, 
nao  incluindo  consideravel  numero  .de  indios  bravios,  cuja 
cathechese  se  procede  com  afinco,  dia  a  dia,  com  o  concurso  simul- 
taneo  dos  Governos  Federal  e  Estadoal. 

Sem  contar  a  Capital,  as  cidades  principaes  do  Estado  sao 
Corumba,  S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  Miranda,  Nioac,  Pocone, 
Sant'  Anna  de  Paranahyba,  Diamantina,  Rosario,  Livramento  e  o 
novo  Municipio  recentemente  installado  de  Sto.  Antonio  do  Rio 
Madeira. 

Cuyaba,  sua  capital,  esta  situada  a  margem  esquerda  do  rio 
do  mesmo  nome,  a  288  metros  acima  do  nivel  do  mar,  e  deve 
as  suas  origens  aos  Paulistas  que  formaram  as  legendarias 
bandeiras  e  que  percorreram  o  Brasil  Occidental  no  comego  do 
seculo  XVIII. 

Em  1719  Paschoal  Moreira  Cabral  subindo  o  Rio  Coxipo 
Mirim,  fundou  a  margem  esquerda  d'esta  corrente  uma  povoagao 
que  denominou  Forquilha,  hoje  a  cidade  de  Cuyaba,  onde 
naquelles  tempos  se  descobriu  uma  rica  mina  de  ouro. 


Em  outros  tempos,  conforme  Elysee  Reclus,  a  vastissima 
regiao  de  Matto-Grosso  era  apenas,  salvo  uma  estreita  zona 
mediana,  nao  mais  que  uma  immensa  solidao  de  limites  indecisos 
e  senao  desconhecidos  pelo  menos  ainda  entregues  aos  indios  e 
as  feras,  a  qual  se  ligava  ao  resto  do  Brasil  por  simples  picadas 
de  cagadores  e  pelos  cursos  dos  rios  que  ali  nascem.  Realmente 
em  outros  tempos  eram  tamanhas  as  difficuldades  de  communi- 
cagao  do  resto   do  paiz   com   Matto-Grosso,   que  ainda  esta  na 

192 


A  RUBBER  GATHERER  MAKING  A  RUBBER  SACK  RV 
COVERING  CANVAS  WITH  LIQUID  RUBBER 


memoria  de  muitos  e  no  conhecimento  dos  que  leem  as  paginas 
da  Historia  do  Brasil,  a  impossibilidade  que  tiveram  as  tropas 
reunidas  nas  provincias  do  littoral  para  irem  soccorrer  direc- 
tamente  seus  compatriotas  de  Matto-Grosso,  quando  a  nagao 
brazileira  teve  de  responder  a  declaragao  de  guerra  do  Paraguay. 

Com  os  mil  estorvos  da  travessia,  o  corpo  de  exercito  composto 
de  3000  homens  que  partiu  em  Abril  de  1865  do  Rio  de  Janeiro 
e  que  so  poude  organisarse  em  Uberaba,  na  bacia  superior 
do  Parana,  estava  reduzido  apenas  a  700  homens  quando  chegou 
a  ponto  inatacavel  e  seguro. 

Vencida,  porem,  a  guerra  com  o  Paraguay,  nao  ha  nenhuma 
duvida  que  a  a  victoria  do  Brasil  escancarou-lhe  as  portas  de 
Matto-Grosso,  pois  que  o  declive  natural  do  solo  e  o  curso  das 
aguas  com  a  liberdade  da  navegagao  fluvial,  garantida  pelo  tri- 
umpho,  estabeleceu  um  servigo  regular  de  paquetes  do  Rio  de 
Janeiro  a  Corumba  e  Cuyaba,  pela  via  do  Rio  da  Prata,  passando 
por  Montevideo,  Buenos  Ayres  e  Assumpgao. 

O  caminho  fluvial  do  Guapore,  Madeira  e  Amazonas  foi  muito 
utilisado  no  seculo  XV111,  depois  da  exploragao  feita  por  Manoel 
de  Lima  em  17.42.  A  navegagao  pelo  Rio  Guapore  ate  o  Rio 
Madeira,  ate  enfim  Sto.  Antonio,  que  e  o  ponto  inicial  da  na- 
vegagao d'este  ultimo  rio,  e  longa  e  cheia  de  fadiga. 

Comtudo  Matto-Grosso  vae  gradualmente  se  approximando 
do  litoral  do  Brasil  por  meio  de  estradas  de  ferro,  taes  como  a 
Noroeste  do  Brasil  que  ligal-o-a  dentro  em  breve  ao  Rio  de 
Janeiro  e  a  estrada  de  ferro  ja  projectada  que  partindo  de  S. 
Luiz  de  Caceres  ira  ate  a  antiga  cidade  de  Matto-Grosso,  donde 
o  rio  Guapore  comega  a  ser  navegavel  ate  Guajara-Mirim,  ponto 
terminal  da  grande  via  Madeira-Mamore  Railway. 

Dentro  de  pouco  tempo,  como  se  ve,  as  estradas  mixtas  serao 
una  reaiidade,  comprehendendo  rios  navegaveis  por  vapores  e 
os  trechos  de  communicagao  entre  estes  rios.  O  Paranapanema 
e  o  Ivahy,  nos  Estados  do  Parana  e  S.  Paulo  continuam  para 
outro  lado  do  rio  Parana  subindo  o  Ivinhema  e  o  Brilhante,  ate 
as  visinhas  montanhas  de  Miranda,  na  parte  meridional  de 
Matto-Grosso.  As  magnificas  regioes  de  Matto-Grosso  pro- 
mettem  ser  de  futuro,  e  futuro  ja  bem  proximo,  um  grande  centro 
de  povoamento,  e  conseguintemente  um  futuro  foco  de  civi- 
lisagao,  pela  provavel  fusao  dos  diversos  elementos  de  im- 
migragao  que  para  alii  certamente  concorrorem  com  o  correr 
dos  tempos  e  a  facilidade  que  forem  apresentando  cada  vez  mais 
os  meios  de  communicagao.  Algures  se  disse,  que  a  colonisagao 
far-se-ha  sem  duvida  pelo  Sul,  pelo  lado  do  Paraguay  e  da 
Argentina ;  mas  nos  dias  que  correm,  com  a  presenga  da  Madeira 
Mamore  Railway,  indubitavelmente  a  colonisagao  darse-a 
tambem     pelo     Norte,     facilitada     a     communicagao     pelo     Rio 

194 


Amazonas,  de  que  e  urn  dos  affluentes  o  Madeira,  a  margem 
direita  do  qual  esta  Porto  Velho,  ponto  inicial  da  mesma 
Madeira  Mamore  Railway.  E  estes  effeitos  ja  se  comegam  a 
produzir  com  a  fundagao  de  um  novo  Municipo  e  Comarca  de 
Matto-Grosso,  que  e  o  Municipio  de  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira, 
cortado  pela  referida  via  ferrea  e  a  cuja  regiao  dedicaremos 
adiante  um  capitulo  especial. 

Ja  vae  portanto  se  enchendo  de  populagao  a  extremidade  da 
vertente  septentrional  do  territorio  de  Matto-Grosso,  postoque 
a  da  vertente  meridional  e  realmente  a  que  contem  maior  numero 
de  habitantes. 


Matto-Grosso  e  uma  das  regioes  de  menor  relevo  do  conti- 
nente  da  America  do  Sul ;  alii  nao  se  encontram  elevagoes  de 
terreno  que  constituam  verdadeiras  montanhas. 

As  terras  elevadas  do  Brasil  tern  os  seus  pontos  de  culminan- 
cia  nas  cadeias  orientaes  da  Mantiqueira,  dos  Aymores  e  de 
Espinhago  e  vao-se  abaixando  proporcionalmente  d'este  lado 
para  o  Oeste  do  Estado  de  Goyaz  e  do  outrd  lado  sao  as  elevadas 
massas  da  cadeia  dos  Andes  que  se  inclinam  para  Leste  com  os 
seus  contrafortes.  Diz  Elysee  Reclus,  que  separando  os  dois 
systemas  orographicos,  vae  serpeando  em  forma  de  valle  uma 
planicie  intermediaria,  que  certamente  foi  outr'ora  um  estreito 
maritimo  separando  as  duas  ilhas— Brasil  Oriental  e  Andes. 

Hoje  correm  aguas  fluviaes  na  depressao  por  onde  passaram 
outr'ora  as  aguas  marinhas  e  a  planicie  esta  cheia  actualmente  de 
suas  alluvioes.  O  verdadeiro  centro  da  America  do  Sul  esta  entre 
as  duas  cidades  de  Cuyaba  e  Corumba. 

Para  os  que  desconhecem  a  regiao,  as  vertentes  sao  as  vezes 
confundidas  com  as  serras,  e  em  cartas  geographicas  se  desenha 
uma  cadeia  de  montanhas  mais  ou  menos  continua,  entre  as 
bacias  do  Tapajoz  e  do  Madeira,  entre  as  nascentes  do  mesmo 
Tapajoz  e  do  Paraguay  em  seguida,  e  finalmente  entre  ainda  o  Ta- 
pajoz e  o  Araguaya.  Comtudo  este  relevo  semicircular  nao  existe 
senao  fragmentado,  pois  que  as  elevagoes  que  dominam  as  planicies 
do  alto  Paraguay  e  seus  affluentes  sao  na  realidade  um  alto  cha- 
padao  de  extractos  horisontaes  ou  mui  ligeiramente  inclinados  e  car- 
comidos  pelos  rios  que  descem  para  o  grande  Amazonas. 

Sao  antes  taboleiros  que  montanhas,  ou  ao  menos  estas  nao  se 
elevam  senao  em  alguns  pontos  do  grande  planalto,  attingindo, 
aqui  e  alem,  uns  mil  metros  de  altura,  emquanto  a  elevagao  media 
do  proprio  paredao  e  de  quinhentos  metros. 

Assim,  o  conjuncto  orographico  do  Estado  de  Matto-Grosso 
chamado  indifferentemente  cordilheira  dos  Parecys,  nao  apresenta 
aspecto  montanhoso  senao  para  o  lado  do  Sul ;  n'esta  face  escar- 
pada,  a  rocha  e  talhada  a  pique  ou  recortada  em  agulhas,  mas  do 

195 


outro  lado  para  o  Tapajoz  e  Xingu,  uma  encosta  longa  se  estende 
e  vae  morrer  gradualmente  nas  planicies  do  Estado  do  Amazonas. 

D'Orbigny  reconheceu  na  eminencia  da  parte  septentrional  do 
Estado  de  Matto-Grosso  a  existencia  de  camadas  pertencentes  a 
edade  carbonifera  e  correspondendo  as  rochas  da  mesma  natureza, 
que  do  lado  opposto  da  regiao  se  apresenta  nos  contrafortes 
bolivianos  de  Santa  Cruz  de  la  Sierra.  Depois  d'este,  Hart  e 
Derby  verificaram  que  as  partes  meridionaes  do  Araxa,  que  sao 
as  bordas  elevadas  do  planalto,  datam  provavelmente  das  epochas 
paleozoicas,  e  que  alii  estao  representadas  as  camadas  carboni- 
feras  devonianas  e  siluricas.  Leitos  fossiliferos  encontrados  pelo 
geologo  Smith  abaixo  das  collinas  da  Chapada,  50  kilometros  a 
Leste  de  Cuyaba,  puzeram  fora  de  duvida  estes  factos.  Mais  ao 
Norte,  na  zona  de  rochedos  que  em  travess5es  cortam  o  Madeira, 
o  Tapajoz,  o  Xingu,  o  Tocantins  e  seus  affluentes,  as  paredes 
desnudadas  pela  erosao  sao  todas  de  formagao  crystallina:  grani- 
tos,  gneis,  porphiros  e  quartzitos. 

As  elevagoes  que  se  desenvolvem  na  direcgao  do  Sul  entre 
as  nascentes  do  Paraguay  e  as  do  Araguaya,  em  seguida  entre  o 
Paraguay  e  o  Parana,  nao  apresentam  as  rnesmas  caracteristicas  dcs 
planaltos  do  Norte.  As  eminencias  da  parte  Oriental  do  Estado  de 
Matto-Grosso  foram  esbarancadas  dos  dois  lados  a  Leste  e  Oeste  e 
devastadas  por  estas  excavagoes  lateraes,  tomam  em  certos  pontos 
o  aspecto  de  verdadeiras  cadeias  de  montanhas,  e  assim  e  que 
desenham-se  do  Norte  ao  Sul  as  serras  de  S.  Jeronymo,  do  Mara- 
caju  e  Anhanbahy. 

Rochas  eruptivas,  chamadas  no  paiz  bassaltos,  provavelmente 
porphyricas,  romperam  as  camadas  de  grez  que  compoem  as  mon- 
tanhas e  parece  que  formaram  pela  sua  desaggregagao  "terras 
roxas,"  analogas  as  que  dao  aos  fazendeiros  de  S.  Paulo  tao 
copiosas  colheitas  de  cafe. 

Na  especie  de  circo  limitado  pelo  semi-circulo  das  elevagoes 
levantam  se  massigos  isolados,  rochas,  cujos  extractos,  visiveis 
de  longe,  tern  uma  regularidade  perfeita.  Os  proprios  morros 
tern  pela  maior  parte  formas  geometricas :  dir-se-ia  que  se 
esboroaram  vastos  langos,  deixando  paredoes  lisos,  eguaes  aos 
flancos  de  uma  pyramide.  Os  cumes  horizontaes  como  se  as 
pontas  tivessem  sido  decepadas  por  um  instrumento  cortante 
correspondem  a  outros  cumes,  e  ve  se  que  outr'ora  faziam  parte 
de  um  mesmo  chapadao.  Segundo  Taunay,  que  percorreu  o  paiz, 
estes  massigos  de  grez,  de  camadas  horizontaes  e  regularmente 
superpostas,  sao  formados  de  sedimentos  lacustres  coados  pelo 
mar  de  agua  doce  que  outr'ora  cobriu  a  regiao. 

As  ruinas  d'estes  paredoes  e  das  escarpas  contribuiram  tam- 
bem  para  mudar  a  phisionomia  da  paysagem.  Os  escombros, 
apanhados  e  arrastados   pelos  rios,   foram   revestir  de  camadas 

196 


HUT  OF  RUBBER  GATHERERS   ON  THE  UPPER  ACRE. 


1©T 


novas  o  solo,  e  muitas  saliencias  de  pedras  desappareceram  de- 
baixo  dos  restos  esmigalhados  das  montanhas  e  outras  nao 
mostram  senao  as  pontas  por  cima  doz  terrenos  de  formacao  mais 
recente.  Massicos  que  se  prendiam  aos  planaltos  e  as  cadeias  do 
interior  estao  agora  separados  d'ellas,  porque  suas  bases  se  acham 
soterradas  e  elles  emergem  abruptamente  do  solo.  Estes  picos 
distinctos  aos  quaes  se  deu  o  nome  de  itambes,  erigem  seus  cabe- 
gos  por  cima  dum  mar  de  arvores  comparaveis  a  gigantescos 
edificios  erguidos  pela  mao  do  homem.  A  Leste  da  parte  meridio- 
nal de  Matto-Grosso,  elles  enfileiramse  e  agrupam-se  em  archi- 
pelagos, depois  cada  vez  mais  altos  e  menos  numerosos,  a  pro- 
porcao  que  se  caminha  para  Oeste,  ou  completamente  solitarios 
no  circulo  do  horizonte,  apparecem  ate  nas  margens  do  rio  Para- 
guay e  ainda  do  outro  lado  do  mesmo. 

O  alto  Guapore,  Itenez  dos  Bolivianos,  posto  que  compre- 
hendido  na  bacia  do  immenso  Amazonas,  como  affluente  do 
Madeira  pelo  Mamore,  pertence  especialmente  ao  Estado  de 
Matto-Grosso,  pois  que  a  cidade  d'este  nome  foi  fundada  nas  suas 
margens  e  quasi  toda  a  populagao  de  Estado  se  accumulou  na 
depressao,  cuja  metade  occidental  este  rio  percorre.  Sua  principal 
nascente,  muito  ferruginosa,  desponta  n'uma  grota  junto  a  borda 
do  Araxa,  e  corre  primeiro  na  direccao  do  Sul,  parallellamente  a 
outros  rios  que  descem  para  o  Paraguay;  mas  ao  deixar  as  ulti- 
mas collinas  o  ribeirao  curva-se  para  Oeste,  depois  para  Noroeste 
e  ja  engrossado  por  numerosos  affluentes  atravessa  a  planicie, 
em  que  esta  a  cidade  que  se  chamou  na  sua  fundacao  Villa-Bella 
e  hoje  se  denomina  Matto-Grosso. 

O  Paraguay  e  um  dos  rios  mais  notaveis  da  Terra  como  via 
de  navegacao,  segundo  affirma  Elysee  Reclus;  poucos  tern  um 
declive  mais  suave  e  fraco  proporcionalmente  a  sua  extensao. 
Affirma  Castelnau  que  elle  nasce  na  altitude  de  305  metros;  nos 
lugares  onde  as  aguas  tranquillas  deslizam  lentamente  para  o  mar, 
a  altitude  dos  campos  e  apenas  de  200  metros,  e  a  partir  de  um 
ponto  situado  a  quatro  mil  kilometros  do  mar,  o  declive  e  apenas 
de  cinco  centimetros.  D'este  modo,  vapores  de  pequeno  calado 
podem  subir  livremente  ate  os  confins  do  Brasil,  muito  ao  Norte 
das  duas  Republicas  da  Argentina  e  Paraguay  e  chegar  a  base  do 
planalto  pelo  rio  principal  e  pelos  seus  affluentes,  Jauru,  Sepo- 
tuba,  Cuyaba,  S.  Lourengo  e  Taquary.  O  Paraguay  apresenta 
ainda  um  phenomeno  notavel,  que  e  o  do  cruzamento  de  suas 
nascentes  com  as  dos  affluentes  do  Rio  Amazonas. 

O  Jauru  approxima-se  tanto  do  Guapore,  que  seria  facil  passar 
por  um  canal  as  aguas  do  rio  Occidental  para  um  affluente  do 
Jauru.  Outro  tributario  do  Paraguay,  o  Aguapehy,  so  esta  se- 
parado  do  rio  Alegre,  que  desce  para  a  antiga  cidade  de  Villa- 
Bella,  hoje  Matto-Grosso,  por  um  isthmo  de  pouca  largura,  de 

•198 


fraco  relevo,  que  segundo  Leverger,  mede  2400  bragas  ou  5280 
metros.  No  anno  de  1772,  e  depois,  tentou-se  cavar  urn  canal  em 
pontos  diversos  do  isthmo,  masas  obras  nao  chegaram  a  termo  por 
falta  de  commercio  na  localidade.  Certamente  estradas  de  ferro, 
em  mais  ou  menos  dias,  supprirao  a  ausencia  do  canal  que  ligaria 
Montevideo  ao  Para,  passando  em  grande  parte  do  Estado  _  de 
Matto-Grosso,  e  por  uma  via  continental  navegavel  de  8300  kilo- 
metros,  segundo  refere  Bartholomeu  Bossi. 

O  rio  Paraguay  tern  como  affluentez  principaes  os  rios  S. 
Lourengo,  engrossado  pelas  aguas  do  Cuyaba,  o  Taquary,  oMon- 
dego  e  o  Apa,  limite  este  ultimo  entre  o  Brasil  e  a  Republica  do 
Paraguay. 

Por  occasiao  das  enchentes,  seu  nivel  e  o  dos  seus  affluentes 
eleva-se  de  dez  e  onze  metros  e  derrama-se  a  esquerda  e  a  direita, 
formando  um  mar  ephemero  que  se  estende  ao  longe,  a  perder  de 
vista  e  se  prolonga  em  banhados.  Os  primeiros  viajantes.hespa- 
nhoes  deram  o  nome  de  lago  Xarayes  a  baixada  onde  se  espar- 
ramam  as  aguas  quasi  dormentes  dos  bragos  principaes  do  rio. 
Este  lago  tern  de  extensao  cerca  de  600  kilometros  de  Sul  a 
Norte,  entre  as  boccas  do  Jauru  e  as  collinas  do  Fecho-dos- 
Morros  e  em  certos  pontos  chega  a  250  de  largura. 

Elle  nao  e  permanente,  como  se  pensava  outr'ora,  mas  em 
qualquer  epocha  do  anno  ha  trechos  alagados  que  os  indios  deno- 
minam  bahias  e  com  razao,  pois  que  sao  bahias  de  um  antigo  mar, 
que  hoje  esta  meio  secco,  e  a  maior  parte  de  taes  lagoas  esta  em 
communicagao  constante  com  o  rio  Paraguay,  ora  por  furos 
lateraes,  ora  por  longos  canaes,  taes  como  os  denominados  lagos 
de  Uberaba,  Gaiaba,  Mandiore,  Caceres,  etc.  D'entre  estes  lagos, 
uns  nao  contem  senao  agua  doce  trazida  pela  innundagao  fluvial, 
emquanto  outros,  que  sao  antigas  cavidades  outr'ora  occupadas 
por  agua  do  mar,  conservam  no  fundo  de  seus  leitos  camadas 
salinas,  que  dao  ao  liquido  um  sabor  caracteristico.  E'  singular 
que  este  contraste  da  natureza  das  aguas  doces  ou  salinas  tambem 
se  produza  nos  terrenos  da  vasta  planicie,  e  assim  e  que  campos 
extensos,  cobertos  de  ricas  alluvioes,  deram  nascimento  a  mattas 
cerradas,  e  o  agricultor  pode  muito  bem  alii  obter  colheitas 
maravilhosas.  E'  certamente  por  este  motivo  que  os  campos  de 
Matto-Grosso  tanto  se  prestam  a  industria  pastoril. 

A  horizontalidade  do  terreno,  formada  pelo  centro  da  depres- 
sao  do  immenso  valle,  impede  que  o  confluente  se  conserve  em 
um  leito  regular,  e  as  aguas  escapando  por  ambos  os  lados  rami- 
ficam-se  n'um  labirintho  do  rios  e  falsos  rios.  Os  ramos  lateraes 
seguem  por  entre  as  zonas  dos  banhados,  ate  a  confluencia  do  rio 
Taquary  e  do  rio  Miranda,  que  descem  das  montanhas  de  Leste, 
recebendo  o  primeiro  d'estes,  na  regiao  superior,  um  affluente,  o 
Coxim,   considerado  pelos  viajantes   como  um   dos   mais  pitto- 

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rescos  rios  do  Brasil.  E'  curioso  ver  em  alguns  lugares  o  Coxim 
estreitara-se  entre  paredoes  a  pique,  de  50  metros  de  altura,  e  as 
pequenas  embarcacoes  correrem  sobre  elle  como  no  fundo  de  um 
vallao  que  nao  tem  mais  de  10  ou  12  metros  de  largura. 


O  clima  de  Matto-Grosso  e  relativamente  quente  nas  regioes 
baixas  e  alagadas  pelas  enchentes  dos  rios,  taes  como  Paraguay ; 
nas  regioes  dos  planaltos  o  clima  e  salubre  e  frio.  O  movimento 
das  columnas  de  ar  e  determinada  pela  forma  de  corredor  aberto 
entre  a  cordilheira  dos  Andes  e  as  terras  altas  do  Brasil,  bem  no 
centro  do  continente  Sul  Americano,  e  por  elle  sao  arrastadas; 
aos  ventos  tepidos  proveniente  da  regiao  da  Amazonia,  succedem 
no  inverno  ventos  que  sopram  do  frio  pampa.  Nas  alturas  do 
circo  de  chapadoes  e  montanhas  que  rodeiam  a  planicie  do  Estado 
de  Matto-Grosso,  o  frio  desce  abaixo  do  ponto  de  congelagao.  As 
copiosas  chuvas  trazidas  pelo  rebojo  dos  ventos  que  contornam  o 
planalto  central  do  Brasil  e  vem  esbarrar  nos  primeiros  contra- 
fortes  dos  Andes,  cahem  com  muita  regularidade  no  verao  e  sao 
frequentemente  acompanhadas  de  trovoadas.  " 

Consoante  alguns  observadores,  a  queda  da  agua  annual  e  de 
3  metros,  e  em  Cuyaba  contam-se  mais  ou  menos  135  dias  de 
chuva  por  anno  medio. 


O  Estado  de  Matto-Grosso,  pela  sua  situagao  geographica  no 
continente  Sul  Americano,  collocado  no  ponto  de  separagao  das 
duas  grandes  bacias  do  Brasil,  reune  ao  mesmo  tempo  as  floras 
e  as  faunas  da  regiao  da  Amazonia  e  das  regioes  Platinas.  En- 
tretanto,  a  flora  tropical  predomina  com  sua  infinita  variedade 
de  formas  vegetaes  em  todas  as  regioes  das  florestas,  isto  e,  a 
beira  dos  rios,  e  entre  as  especies  famosas  habitantes  das  margens 
do  Rio  Mar,  poucas  ha  que  nao  estejam  representadas  na  regiao 
do  alto  Guapore,  ou  das  quaes  se  nao  encontrem  congeneres. 

Em  nenhuma  parte  se  desenvolve  como  alii  as  palmeiras  Cipos, 
e  em  1875  uma  commissao  de  limites  descobriu  uma  d'estas  pal- 
meiras Urumbamba  (Calamus  procumbeus)  ou  Desmoncus 
rudentum  de  Martius,  com  mais  de  200  metros  de  comprimento  e 
apenas  com  a  grossura  de  um  centimetro  !  O  algodoeiro  o  tabacco, 
a  ipeccacuanha,  chamada  alii  poaya  nascm  espontaneamente  nas 
planicies  e  nas  florestas ;  esta  ultima  sobretudo  colhem-na  nas 
florestas  do  alto  Jauru  e  dos  rios  visinhos.  O  mate,  a  mais  notavel 
das  plantas  da  zona  meridional  e  que  faz  a  riqueza  de  algumas 
regioes  como  do  Estado  do  Parana,  cresce  alii  espontaneamente 
entre  Miranda  e  o  rio  Apa,  sem  fallar  propriamente  da  seringueira, 
que  e  encontrada  em  immensas  e   cerradas  florestas  n'uma  ex- 

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tensao  comprehendida  desde  Cuyaba  ate  o  Madeira,  e  a  qual  fara 
o  assumpto  especial  d'este  ligeiro  exposto. 

As  madeiras  de  construcgao  sao  abundantissimas  e  em  grande 
variedade,  podendo-se  citar  o  pao-brasil,  o  jacaranda,  a  peroba,  a 
canella,  o  cedro,  o  jequitiba,  a  massaranduba,  o  pao-d'arco,  o  pao- 
ferro,  o  pao-setim,  o  vinhatico,  etc. 

Entre  os  animaes,  encontram-se  os  veados,  as  antas  e  as  ongas, 
alem  de  urn  grande  numero  de  outros  pequenos,  proprios  das  re- 
gioes tropicaes.  As  aves  e  os  passaros,  aves  ribeirinhas  e  passaros 
cantores  das  florestas,  sao  pela  sua  variedade  quasi  innumeros.  A 
avestruz  vinda  das  regioes  dos  pampas  chegou  as  planicies  margi- 
naes  do  alto  Paraguay ;  os  peixes  abundam  n'uma  riquissima  e 
magnifica  variedade  nos  grandes  e  pequenos  rios. 

No  reino  mineral,  o  Estado  de  Matto-Grosso  possue  minas 
numerosas  de  ouro,  prata,  platina,  cobre,  estanho,  chumbo,  mer- 
curio,  carvao  de  pedra,  ferro,  pedras,  preciosas,  diamantes,  &c, 
existindo  ja  quatro  companhias  inglezas  na  exploragao  de  minas 
de  ouro.  Ha  tambem  granitos,  crystal  de  rocha,  malacacheta, 
pedra  calcaria,  sal-gemma,  &c.  Finalmente  nas  regioes  do  Araxa, 
ha  fontes  de  aguas  mineraes  sulphurosas.. 

O  Estado  de  Matto-Grosse  e  a  regiao  do  Brasil  onde  se  encon- 
tram  as  maiores  fazendas  de  gado,  nao  so  em  extensao  territorial, 
como  em  numero  de  cabegas  de  gado  vaccum  e  cavallar,  havendo 
algumas  que  contam  cem  mil  cabegas.  Calcula-se  o  numero  de 
cabegas  de  gado  vaccum  em  Matto-Grosso  em  dois  bilhoes  e 
quinhentas  mil. 

Nos  dias  que  correm,  ainda  e  urn  pouco  difficil  o  transporte  de 
gado  de  Matto-Grosso  para  o  Rio  de  Janeiro,  principalmente,  e  a 
exportagao  e  feita  pelo  caminho  de  Oeste  ate  Uberaba,  onde  a 
invernada  se  faz  em  dois  ou  trez  mezes,  ate  que  os  animaes  se 
refagam  e  possam  ser  conduzidos  em  caminho  de  ferro  ate  o 
littoral  do  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Ve-se,  entretanto  que,  com  a  terminagao 
da  via  ferrea  Noroeste  do  Brasil,  o  problema  do  transporte  para  o 
littoral  sera  resolvi'do,  assim  como  a  Madeira  Mamore  Railway, 
contando  Matto-Grosso  presentemente  com  rios  navegaveis  e  dentro 
de  bem  pouco  tempo  com  a  via  ferrea  de  que  ja  fallamos,  de  S.  Luiz 
de  Caeeres  a  antiga  cidade  de  Matto-Grosso,  donde  comega  a 
ser  navegavel  o  rio  Guapore  ate  Guarjara-Mirim,  ponto  terminal 
da  Madeira  Mamore  Railway,  resolvera  tambem  o  problema  da 
exportagao  de  gado  para  os  Estados  do  Amazonas,  Para,  &c. 


D'este  leve  exposto  conclue-se  que  o  territorio  do  Estado  de 
Matto-Grosso  e  grandemente  rico  de  gado  e  ouro,  de  diamante  e 
cafe,  de  tabaco  e  mate,  de  borracha  e  ipecacuanha  e  de  todos  os 
productos  dos  tropicos  e  das  zonas   temperadas : — elle  so  bastaria 

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para  constituir  um  dos  mais  vastos  e  mais  opulentos  imperios  do 
mundo ! 

Dotado  de  um  clima,  se  bem  que  quente  ao  Norte,  porem 
temperado  e  mesmo  frio  nas  demais  regioes,  como  a  dos  planaltos, 
apresentando  um  accumulo  de  riquezas  raro  e  ainda  pouco  ex- 
plorado  como  esta,  forgosamente  para  la  o  homem  das  diversas 
partes  da  Terra,  na  sua  constante  actividade,  na  sua  crescente  lucta 
pela  vida,  immigrara  e  concorrera  com  a  intelligencia  e  com  o 
esforco  do  trabalho,  para  fazer  d'aquella  parte  do  Brasil  um  grande 
emporio  de  industrias,  commercio,  navegagao,  caminhos  de  ferro  e 
conseguintemente  uma  grande  nascente  de  civilisagao,  donde,  pela 
fusao  das  diversas  ragas,  o  mesmo  homem  surgira  sempre  grande, 
sempre  vencedor  no  immenso  concerto  e  na  elevada  harmonia  da 
Vida  e  da  Terra! 

A  borracha  que  se  ve  n'esta  Exposigao  e  extrahida  e  vinda  toda 
das  vastas  regioes  cortadas  pelos  rios  Machados,  ou  Dgy-Parana, 
Jamary,  Jacy-Parana,  Mutum-Parana,  Paca-Nova  e  Guapore  com 
seus  affluentes,  aquelles  a  seu  turno  affluentes  do  grande  rio 
Madeira,  em  cuja  margem  direita  esta  situado  o  novo  Municipio 
e  Comarca  de  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira,  installado  em  2  de 
Julho  do  anno  corrente. 

O  novo  Municipio  tern  os  seguintes  limites :  partindo  da 
cachoeira  de  Sto.  Antonio  no  rio  Madeira,  no  parallelo  de  8  48', 
o  rio  Madeira  acima;  o  rio  Mamore  acima  ate  a  foz  do  Guapore 
no  parallelo  de  12,  este  parallelo  ate  a  sua  intersecgao  com  o  rio 
Camarare;  este  rio  abaixo  ate  a  sua  confluencia  no  Juruema;  este 
rio  abaixo  ate  o  ponto  em  que  se  reune  ao  Arinos;  o  parallelo  que 
n'este  ponto  passa  ate  a  sua  intersecgao  com  o  rio  S.  Manuel;  este 
rio  abaixo  ate  sua  confluencia  no  Tapajoz;  e  d'este  ponto  ate  en- 
contrar  a  cachoeira  de  Sto.  Antonio  no  Rio  Madeira  a  linha  que 
extrema  os  territorios  dos  Estados  de  Matto-Grosso  e  do  Amazonas. 

Todo  o  immenso  territorio  do  novo  Municipio  e  cortado  ao 
Norte  pela  Madeira  Mamore  Railway,  que  conta  365  kilometros 
de  via  ferrea  ja  construidos,  partindo  de  Porto  Velho  no  Estado 
do  Amazonas,  distante  7  kilometros  da  sede  propriamente  do 
Municipio,  ate  Guajara-Mirim. 

A  via  ferrea  Madeira  Mamore,  alem  das  estagoes  ja  construidas, 
em  Porto  Velho,  Candelaria,  Sto.  Antonio,  Jacy-Parana,  Abuna, 
Villa  Murtinho  e  Guajara-Mirim,  tern  46  pontos  de  parada  que 
correspondem  ao  numero  dos  seus  acampamentos. 

Entre  as  vias  de  communicagao  do  novo  Municipio  de  Sto. 
Antonio  do  rio  Madeira  com  os  visinhos  Estados  do  Amazonas  e 
Para  e  tambem  com  a  capital  e  outras  cidades  do  Estado  de  Matto- 
Grosso,  comecemos  por  dizer  algo  da  linha  telegraphica  ora  ainda 
em  construcgao  por  conta  do  Governo   Federal    e    da    respectiva 

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estrada  de  rodagem.  Sao  duas  as  turmas  de  engenheiros  e 
operarios  que  constroem  a  linha  telegraphica,  uma  partida  do 
Norte — Sto.  Antonio — e  outra  do  Sul — Diamantina.  Partindo  de 
Sto.  Antonio,  a  linha  telegraphica  segue  o  parallelo  8  48'  ate  en- 
contrar  o  rio  Jamary,  n'uma  extensao  de  cerca  de  sessenta  kilo- 
metros ;  ahi  chegando  desvia  se  para  o  rumo  das  cabeceiras  do  rio 
Dgy-Parana,  no  lugar  denominado  Urupa,  onde  se  deve  encontrar 
com  a  turma  do  Sul  e  onde  a  ligagao  sera  feita.  A  3  de  Junho  de 
1912  na  mais  alta  cabeceira  do  rio  Dgy-Parana,  ja  foi  inaugurada  a 
estagao  telegraphica  de  Jose  Bonifacio,  pela  turma  do  Sul,  emquanto 
a  do  Norte  tambem  ja  inaugurou  em  data  anterior  as  estagoes  de 
Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira  e  Jamary.  Este  emprehendimento 
notavel  esta  sob  a  intelligencia  e  extraordinaria  dedicagao  do  snr. 
Coronel  de  Engenheiros  do  Exercito  Brazileiro,  Candido  Rondon, 
que  tern  o  record  das  construccoes  de  linhas  telegraphicas  no  Brasil 
e  quiga  na  America  do  Sul. 

Prompta  dentro  de  um  anno,  mais  ou  menos,  a  linha  telegraphica 
marginara  uma  estrada  de  rodagem  de  40  metros  de  largura,  de 
cerca  de  duzentas  leguas  de  extensao  a  partir  de  Cuyaba  ate  Sto. 
Antonio  do  rio  Madeira.  Esta  immensa  via  de  communicagao 
cortando  todo  um  vasto  sertao  sobretudo  rico  em  borracha  e  ouro, 
tera  de  dez  em  dez  leguas  uma  estagao  telegraphica. 

Em  Porto  Velho,  ponto  inicial  da  Madeira  Mamore  Railway, 
ha  ja  por  sua  vez  funccionando  uma  poderosa  estagao  radiographica  1 
do  systema  Marconi  e  que  se  communica  diariamente  com  Manaos 
e  ja.  se  tern  communicado  mesmo  com  Iquitos  e  com  os  Depart- 
amentos  Federaes  do  Acre,  do  Purus  e  do  Jurua. 

Quanto  a  navegagao  de  Manaos  ate  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio 
Madeira,  ella  e  feita  em  boas  condigoes  e  em  navios  confortaveis. 
Nas  aguas  baixas,  isto  e,  nos  tempos  da  secca  do  grande  rio  Ama- 
zonas  e  seus  affluentes,  sobem  de  Manaos  ate  aquelles  pontos  os 
navios  de  tonelagem  ate  500,  nos  tempos  de  aguas  altas,  em  que 
o  valle  do  Amazonas  todo  se  alaga,  navios  transantlaticos  de  7 
mil  a  nove  mil  toneladas  sobem  de  Manaos  ate  alii,  em  quatro  dias 
de  viagem,  como  ja  tern  succedido  no  transporte  de  materiaes  para 
construcgao  da  Madeira  Mamore  Railway,  acostando  facilmente 
em  2  caes  feitos  de  madeira  de  lei,  o  primeiro  construido  em  frente 
as  officinas  de  Porto  Velho  e  o  segundo  em  Candelaria.  Por  sua 
vez  o  Governo  da  Republica  esta  resolvido  a  construir  um  caes 
de  pedra  e  cal  entre  Porto  Velho  e  Sto.  Antonio. 

Os  pequenos  navios  que  navegam  durante  a  secca  dos  rios,  teem 
accomodagoes  para  passageiros  de  l.a  e  3.a  classe,  sao  illuminados 
a  luz  electrica,  possuem  fabricas  de  gelo  e  fazem  bem  a  viagem  de 
Manaos  a  Porto  Velho  e  Sto.  Antonio  em  cerca  de  5  dias,  com  uma 
media  de  velocidade  de  10  milhas  por  hora,  fazendo  escala  por 
pequenos  portos  e  cidades  amazonenses,  situadas  nas  margens  do 

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rio  Madeira.  Na  descida  tanto  dos  grandes  transantlaticos  como 
dos  pequenos  navios  de  500  toneladas,  a  viagem  se  faz  mais  rapi- 
damente,  em  3  e  4  dias. 


A  borracha  de  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira  e  da  mesma 
natureza  phisica  e  chimica  de  toda  borracha  do  valle  do  Amazonas, 
e  esta  assergao  salta  a  vista,  quando  nos  lembramos  que  a  parte 
do  Estado  de  Matto-Grosso  occupada  pelo  novo  Municipio  e 
justamente  aquella  limitrophe  dos  Estados  do  Amazonas  e  do  Para. 

Na  parga  de  Manaos,  para  onde  vem  o  producto  pela  via  do  rio 
Madeira,  e  na  de  Belem  do  Para  onde  e  enviada  pela  via  do  rio 
Tapajoz,  ella  e  sempre  cotada  pelos  mesmos  pregos  e  nas  mesmas 
condigoes  das  produzidas  propriamente  nas  regioes  da  Amazonia. 

A  sua  producgao,  que  vem  num  crescendo  desde  o  anno  de  1906, 
e  actualmente  de  cerca  de  2  milhoes  de  kilos  annuaes,  que  augmentara 
certamente  numa  proporgao — impossivel  desde  ja  de  ser  prevista — 
com  a  presenga  e  o  desenvolvimento  da  Madeira  Mamore  Railway, 
da  estrada  de  rodagem  da  linha  telegraphica  e  os  progressos  cons- 
tantes  da  navegagao. 

No.  lro.  semestre  do  anno  fluente  a  producgao  da  borracha  foi 
superior  a  de  nao  importa  qual  seja  o  anno  desde  1907,  conforme 
se  verifica  do  quadro  estatistico  annexe 

N'aquellas  regioes,  comprehendidas  desde  Cuyaba  ate  a  sede 
do  novo  Municipio,  existem  seringaes  capazes  de  produzir  por  si 
sos  dentro  do  periodo  de  um  anno,  mais  de  quarenta  milhoes  de 
kilos  de  borracha. 

Para  attingir  a  este  ideal,  bastaria  que  os  capitaes  concorressem 
para  exploragao  de  uma  industria  extractiva,  cuja  fonte  brota  es- 
pontaneamente  da  terra  sem  carencia  de  cultivo  e  para  animar  e 
estimular  aquelles  que  desejam  ali  empregar  os  seus  esforgos  e 
capitaes,  ahi  esta  a  lei  do  Governo  do  Estado  de  Matto-Grosso,  que 
ofTerece  favores  especiaes  aos  que,  alem  propriamente  da  exploragao 
dos  vastos  seringaes  ja  existentes,  se  quizerem  dedicar  ao  plantio  e 
cultivo  da  mesma  syphonia  elastica. 

Tratando-se  uma  exposigao  de  borracha  em  New- York,  e 
justo  chamarmos  a  attengao  dos  que  nos  queiram  ler  para  o  facto 
bem  importante  da  concorrencia  que  ja  comega  dos  capitaes  norte- 
americanos  para  a  exploragao  d'aquella  regiao. 

O  grande  capitalists  Percival  Farquhar,  americano  do  Norte,  ja 
incorporou  duas  companhias  sob  as  razoes  sociaes  de  Julio  Muller 
Rubber,  e  Guapore  Rubber,  com  o  nm  nao  so  de  explorar  a  industria 
extractiva  de  hevea  brasiliensis,  como  tambem  para  os  diversos 
ramos  de  agricultura  attinentes  ao  fabrico  do  assucar,  dos  tecidos 
de  algodao  &c.  &c. 

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Actualmente  a  extracgao  da  borracha  nos  vastos  seringaes  do 
Municipio  de  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira  occupa  cerca  de  cinco 
mil  trabalhadores,  mas  este  numero  augmentara  cada  vez  mais, 
positivamente,  a  proporgao  que  o  referido  Municipio  se  for  tornando 
o  ponto  de  convergencia  para  onde  affluirao  as  correntes  com- 
merciaes,  industriaes  e  agricolas  dos  centros  de  Matto-Grosso  e  da 
Republica  da  Bolivia. 

Isto  e  facil  de  imaginar,  quando  vemos  que  a  estrada  de  ferro 
Madeira  Mamore  por  sea  em  communicagao  para  o  Sul  com  S.  Luiz 
de  Caceres  por  meio  do  rio  Guapore  e  da  estrada  de  ferro  que  de  S. 
Luiz  de  Caceres  ira  ate  a  antiga  cidade  de  Matto-Grosso,  ligando 
assim  a  bacia  do  Prata  de  intermedio  o  rio  Paraguay — a  bacia  do  rio 
Amazonas,  e  para  Leste,  a  mesma  Maderia  Mamore  Railway  levara 
os  seus  trilhos  ate  Ribeira-Alta,  ligando  as  vastas  e  riquissimas 
regioes  da  Republica  Boliviana  tambem  a  bacia  do  Amazonas,  de 
intermedio  o  rio  Maderia.  Presentemente,  parte  para  aquella  regiao 
o  Engenheiro  chefe  e  Director  da  Maderia  Mamore  Railway,  Mr.  H. 
Dose,  que  vai  dar  comego  a  construcgao  do  referido  ramal  de  Guajara 
Mirim — Matto-Grosso — a  Ribeira  Alta-Bolivia — ,  que  ficara  con- 
cluida  dentro  do  praso  de  urn  anno  e  meio  e  tera  cerca  de  cem  kilo- 
metros  de  extensao. 

Accrescendo  a  isto  ainda  a  construcgao  prompta,  dentro  de  um 
anno,  da  grande  estrada  de  rodagem  da  linha  telegraphica  de 
Cuyaba  ate  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira,  poderemos  f acilmente  ] 
imaginar  o  que  n'um  futuro,  que  nada  faz  pensar  sera  muito  remoto, 
ira  ser  o  novo  Municipio  de  Sto.  Antonio  do  rio  Madeira,  como  um 
verdadeiro  e  incontestavel  ponto  de  convergencia  de  tao  fortes  e 
ricas  correntes  de  desenvolvimento  de  progresso  e  de  civilizagao. 

Antes  de  terminar,  nao  devemos  esquecer  que  o  territorio 
em  questao  nao  se  presta  somente  a  producgao  da  gomma 
elastica,  que  alias  como  em  todo  o  valle  do  Amazonas  e  agreste  e 
nasce  a  lei  da  natureza.  Convem  dizer  que  alii,  alem  do  cacao  e  do 
algodao,  que  tambem  sao  agrestes,  podem  ser  plantados  e  cultivados 
a  canna  de  assucar,  o  cafe,  a  baunilha,  o  milho,  o  feijao,  o  arroz,  o 
tabaco,  a  batata,  a  castanha,  &c. 

A  propria  Madeira  Mamore  Railway  Co.,  concessionaria  de 
uma  vasta  faixa  de  terra  a  margem  de  sua  linha  ferrea,  pensa  em 
fazer  o  plantio  do  cacao,  da  canna  de  assucar,  &c,  &c,  aprovei- 
tando  os  referidos  terrenos. 


De  tudo  o  que  fica  exposto  em  linhas  bem  ligeiras  e  nas  quaes 
procuramos  nos  approximar  sempre  da  verdade,  dando  noticias 
sobre  a  regiao  em  questao,  pode-se  concluir  facilmente  que  so  o 
novo   Municipio  de   Sto.  Antonio   do   rio   Madeira,   que   exporta 


212 


actualmente  para  o  commercio  mundial,  via  Para  e  Manaos,  cerca 
de  2  milhoes  de  kilos  de  borracha,  passara  a  exportar  dentro  de 
poucos  annos,  sobretudo  com  a  immigragao  que  todos  os  factores 
nos  levam  esperar,  de  10  a  15  milh5es. 


O  auctor  d'este  exposto  pede  indulgencia  para  as  lacunas  que 
nelle  forem  encontradas : — foi  escripto  nos  raros  momentos  livres 
ao  trabalho  fatigante  de  organisar  a  exposigao  das  amQstras  de 
borracha  ate  o  respectivo  embarque  em  Manaos  para  New- York. 

As  amostras  da  borracha  de  Matto-Grosso  que  figuram  no 
recinto  da  Exposigao,  sao  expostas  por  ordem  do  Governo,  pela 
benemerita  Associagao  Commercial  do  Amazonas. 

ESTADO  DE  MATTO  GROSSO 

DELEGACIA    FISCAL    DO    NORTE 

QUADRO  DEMONSTRATIVO   DA   PRODUCQAO    DA    BORRACHA    DOS    VALLES 

DO  MADEIRA  E  ALTO   TAPAJOZ    NOS    ANNOS    de    1907    a    1912,    EM    COMPA 

RAQAO  COM  A  MESMA  PRODUCQAO  NO  PRIMEIRO  SEMESTRE  DE  1912. 

1912 
Procedencia  1907      1908       1909     1910       1911    so  o  lo. 

semestre 

Machado  e  Jamary 1.092454   1.252194    910982   1.295605   1.317917   1.315995 

Jacy  Parana  Alto  Ma- 
deira e  More  98464    152713    150759    142458    201562    259612 

Alto  Tapajoz  156034    167841    107458     73688    113453 

1.190918   1.560941   1.229582   1.545521   1.593167   1.689060 


214 


to 

o 

% 

o 

I— I 

H 
U 

H 

m 

O 

u 


STATE  OF  BAHIA 


217 


EXHIBITS  OF  THE  STATE  OF  BAHIA  AT  THE 

INTERNATIONAL  RUBBER  EXHIBITION 

IN  NEW  YORK,  1912 


STATE  OF  BAHIA. 

1  bale  of  100  kilos  of  superior  manigoba  rubber. 

1  bale  of  100  kilos  of  first  quality  manigoba  rubber. 

1  bale  of  100  kilos  of  second  quality  manigoba  rubber. 

1  bale  of  50  kilos  of  superior  mangabeira  rubber. 

1  bale  of  50  kilos  of  first  quality  of  mangabeira  rubber. 

1  package  of  20  kilos  of  caucho  rubber. 

Various  statistical  tables,  photographs,  diagrams  and  a  pano- 
ramic view  of  the  City  of  Bahia. 

Books  and  pamphlets  concerning  the  natural  resources  of  the 
state. 


BY  S.  HESS  &  COMPANY. 

Samples  of  the  various  kinds  of  native  rubber  of  Bahia. 
Two  sacks  of  the  seed  of  the  manigoba  rubber  tree  cultivated 
in  Bahia. 

Specimens  of  the  manigoba  tree. 

BY  F.  STEVENSON  &  COMPANY,  LTD. 

1    bale    of    100    kilos    of    superior    manigoba    rubber    from 
JEQUIE. 

BY  M.  ULMANN  &  COMPANY. 

1  bale  of  50  kilos  of  superior  manigoba  rubber. 
1  bale  of  50  kilos  of  first  quality  manigoba  rubber. 
1  bale  of  superior  mangabeira  rubber. 
1  package  of  caucho  rubber  from  the  State  of  Bahia. 

218 


BY  VON  DER  LINDE  &  COMPANY. 

Specimens  of  the  various  kinds  of  rubber,  from  the  State  of 
Bahia,  in  a  glass  case. 


BY  MORAES  &  COMPANY. 

1  bale  of  100  kilos  of  superior  manigoba  rubber. 

By  JOSE  C.  DA  COSTA  SANTOS. 

1  bale  of  superior  manigoba  rubber. 
1  bale  of  first  quality  manigoba  rubber. 
1  bale  of  second  quality  manigoba  rubber. 
Specimens  of  the  various  kinds  of  rubber  of  Bahia. 

STATE  OF  ALAGOAS. 

Specimens  of  various  kinds  of  rubber. 

Specimens  of  the  rubber  grown  in  JARAGUA. 

These  specimens  were  sent  by  Mr.  Americo  Mello,  represen- 
tative of  the  Commercial  Museum  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  in  the  State 
of  Alagoas. 

STATE  OF  PERNAMBUCO. 

Two  large  packages  of  the  various  kinds  of  rubber  grown  in 
the  State.  These  were  sent  by  Dr.  Antonio  Valenca,  represen- 
tative of  the  Commercial  Museum  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  in  the  State 
of  Pernambuco. 


219 


STATE  OF 
MINAS  GERAES 


220 


STATE  OF  MINAS  GERAES— PROVISIONAL  NOTE 


EXHIBITS 


1.  Wild  Manisoba  (Manihot)  Rubber  in  the  raw  and  cleaned 
market  condition. 

2.  Planted  Manisoba  Rubber,  viz. :  (a)  Fine ;  (b)  Seconds ; 
(c)  Scrao. 

3.  Photographs  taken  on  the  San  Francisco  River,  the  rub- 
ber region  of  the  "Highlands  of  Brazil." 

4.  Photographs  of  Rubber  Trees,  viz. :  (a)  Manihot 
Glaziovii;  (b)  Manihot  Heptaphylla;  (c)   Manihot  Piauhyensis. 

5.  Photographs  of  Bello  Horisonte,  capital  of  the  State  of 
Minas  Geraes,  and  of  other  localities  of  importance  and  general 
interest.     Maps  of  the  State  and  Climatological  Charts. 


221 


BRAZIL    DAY 

Saturday,    September    28 


Gaylamount 
Pamphlet         fl 
Binder 

Gaylord  Bros..  Inc.    W 

Stockton,  Calif. 
T.  M.  Reg.  U.S.  Pat.  Off.  ■      jM,  1 

RETURN 

LOAN  PERld 

v 

V 

\ 

4 

•b 

2569 


ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  m.  .crt  7  Um.o 


DUE   AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

C       Vol  i 

1  ,  r  2  6  1977 

RECD  IN         NQV 

1    1977 

DOCS  DEPT.     ,,,uv 

1        \Jt     t 

FORM  NO.  DD  7,  8m,  6'76             UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKEl 

BERKELEY,  CA  94720 

